Not As Great As Made Out to be. Review on Jodhaa Akbar

There has been much hype surrounding the release of magnum opus Jodha Akbar, and why not? After brilliant films like Lagaan and Swades, one tends to expect nothing short of brilliance from director Ashutosh Gowariker.

Getting straight to the point, Jodha Akbar does not live up to the high standards set by his previous two releases.

Do not get me wrong, it's not an Aag, at the same time, it's not a 'modern day masterpiece' as some critics made it out to be.

Cons:

1).The film moves at a snail's pace, awfully testing the viewer's patience.

Why oh why was it 3 and a 1/2 hours long? Seriously, I could not comprehend the reason the film was so lengthy. The makers could have been easily chopped off half an hour or so, in order to spare our sanity.

I am all for a long film, but it needs to hold my interest throughout. Sadly, Jodha Akbar had me yawning in boredom during many stages of the film.

2). Khwaja song - One of the worst song picturisations I have seen. Right from the weird expression of the actors, to the dance movements, to Akbar doing his little jiggy dance - simply awful!

3). The ear-piercing 'trumpets roar' that played during dramatic sequences - What the hell was that about?!

4). For cartoon-like character actors, that screamed at the top of their voices and made silly faces thinking it can be passed off as acting - Please don't quit your day jobs.

5). Jodha sitting in front of a Hindu idol, from day to night, praying for her husband's recovery ... and voila! He recovers - Too much Ekta Kapoor prime time maybe?

6). Hrithik -  Fails to impress he just does not suite the chrector at all and evan ashwariya rai does better then him. His face expressions seems like he is trying too much and he falls flat on his face..

7). Aiswariya - don't be shocked! I did honestly like her here. Looking gorgeous and performing well too. I found her subdued, with none of her usual overacting. Overall, an average performance by Mrs. Rai-Bachchan.

8). I didnt like any of romantic scenes in the film, what I thought would be boring, and I was right  turned out to be the worst part in the film. The chemistry between Hrithik and Ash is not as great.

Pros

1). The first battle scene and the fight during the climax. Well shot, well executed. Its surely no Lord of the Rings, but it is still impressive for Bollywood standards.

2). Azeem -o- Shan Shahensha. Brilliantly picturised and one of the highpoints of the film. Jashan-e-Bahara and In Lamhon ke Daaman Mein too have been nicely picturised, apart from being beautiful melodies. A.R.Rehman has once again done a fabulous job.

3)Visuals are outstanding! Ditto for the Art direction and Costumes. Yes, the film is grandness and opulence personified.

4)Dialogues, most of the time, sound cliched. I, was afraid there would be heavy usage of complicated Urdu, but overall, the language was pretty understandable.

5)Background score is good, apart from that previously mentioned 'annoying' background piece.

You must have noticed I didn't mention the plot synopsis. That's because I am still trying to decipher this story, what with all the sub-plots revolving around deceit, murder, conspiracy, jealousy. Not since "At Worlds End" have I had such a tough time keeping up with all the different angles of one plot.

Jodha Akbar is a complete let down. Yet, it's a disappointment coming from Ashutosh Gowariker. The screenplay felt haphazardly put together. The film isn't body beautiful minus soul. There is a story, an idea behind making this film, but it's executed is a very haphazard fashion. If only more detail was put into the story/screenplay and editing, then in Ash's jewelery, we may have had another masterpiece from the Gowariker camp.

A strictly good one time watch ... but it really is boring so dont take your kids for it I wont recommend this movie and its okay for the history but not awesome movie very disappointing...

Rating: 1.6/5

Before you ask - the cinema was 90% occupied, which came as a surprise to me. Apart from the bewildered westerner sitting beside me, who kept bugging me with questions about the movie, audience reaction was good.

Although I wonder about the BO fate of this movie. In a country where 'Welcome' becomes a blockbuster, I really doubt JA's chances of doing well. Still Fingers crossed