Friday 26 December 2008

A good Bollywood film...

The word Bollywood often conjures up images of brightly coloured outfits and scores of dancers following questionable dance moves. However last night I was pleasantly surprised by Ashutosh Gowariker's film Jodhaa Akbar. Released in February for Valentine's day this film features Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan.

This love story based in the sixteenth century revolves around a political marriage of convenience between Mughal emperor, Akbar, and Rajput princess, Jodhaa. I confess to not being very knowledgeable on the history that this film is based on, however I will say the disclaimer at the beginning says it all. This film is breathtaking beautiful and people should watch it as a film and not as a faithful representation of the Moghul love story.


Stories featuring Gujaratis or Rajputs are always close to my heart as it is a part of my ancestry (note to self: you are not the body...lol). This film had me gripped as each frame was like a work of art, and each song was woven beautifully into the story. Moghul emperor Akbar won the allegiance of many Rajputs, aided by this marriage to a Hindu princess. The story of their relationship is depicted with a tender touch, and both actors are wonderful in their respective roles. I cannot think of anyone else who'd do these roles such justice.

I was drawn to the beauty of the costumes, music and scenery, and a certain bhajan where Jodhaa prays to Govinda is the highlight of the film. The film has some funny parts and really good fight scenes. I was pleased to see that there wasn't much goriness in the small amount of violence shown. The film won some awards too: the 'Grand Pix award' at Golden Minbar, the Film Festival for Muslim Cinema and the 'Audience Award' at the 32nd São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil. Hrithik Roshan, was awarded the Best Actor Award for his performance as Emperor Akbar. I am surprised Aishwarya hasn't won anything as she was brilliant too. It is a long film though- around fours hours so I am glad I didn't go to the cinema to see it!

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