Review of Jodhaa Akbar (2008) by Ashik S — 23 Aug 2008

[font=Comic Sans MS]Jodhaa Akbar tells the untold love story between Jalaluddin Akbar, a Mughal emperor, and Jodhaa Bhai, a Rajput Princess. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]Already having its flurry of advocates and adverseries, Jodhaa-Akbar generates enough controversy to build enough hype and hoopla for the audience to question when watching this lengthy epic. But instead of a period drama/romance fending its way into our hearts, what you get is nothing but another, unnecessarily lengthy bio-pic which is neither here nor there. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]Director Ashutosh Gowariker is very good at giving his films that larger than life appeal, but amongst the many opulent sets and locations there is very little substance you can carry home. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]Considering it's lack of historical accuracy, the writers of the film would've presumably diverted their attention to create as much chemistry between the two protagonists as possible. Alas, there is no chemistry between the two and the formal dialogues and mechanical movement of most of the characters could only make the matters worse. The film is neither accurate in its story and builds no heat between the characters at all. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]It is clear that Ashutosh Gowariker wished to create a film which focuses on the romance as well as the history - but his shortcomings result in a film which is neither here nor there. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]Most of the cast is very mechanical and the dialogues too self-expressive. Sometimes it is good for characters to portray their emotions through eyes and facial expressions - rather than saying dialogue. The actors don't even try to inject some thought or power into the emotionless dialogue - a downer as seasoned performances were something both audiences and critics would expect. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]A.R. Rahman's music is seriously flawed. He is not in his element and what lets the film down is his cheesy, select few tracks of the score which take up most of the scenes. Only one song stands out for an acceptable listen at that is Jashn-e-Bahara. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]The look of the film is perhaps the only thing which is a success. The sets are lavish, the locations are beautiful and the camerwork is genius. The actors look wonderful whilst being swathed in pearls and beads and Hrithik Roshan's costumes are a standout peice of artwork woven into material. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]Aishwarya's performance is perhaps the best. She is the only one who injects some sort of emotion behind the dialogue and her expressions are also very natural. She is the scene-stealer, the highlight of the enterprise. Hrithik Roshan hams. Although he looks his part, the man is way too mechanical and his dialogue delivery is below-the-mark. Still, he handles the swordfights well. Sonu Sood is competent, but he could've done more justice to his meaty role. [/font].

[font=Comic Sans MS]Overall, Jodhaa Akbar is a film very much lost in its genres - creating no chemistry between its leading couple and hamming when it comes to the accuracy of events. It has a glossy look, but behind the glitter is nothing but a vaccuum of nothingness. [/font].