Aug 12, 2016 04:33 PM
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I still remember the day when I learnt about the Harappa Civilization in Class 6. It was so good to know that such wonderful cities existed and that too so many years ago. It was also surprising to know that nobody ever made a film on this topic, anywhere in the world. Hence, I was overjoyed that Ashutosh Gowariker of all people took up the challenge. After all, he has made outstanding period films like Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar in the past. Sadly, Mohenjo Daro is nowhere close to the classics made by Gowariker. It’s not outright disappointing either and is worth watching for the setting, Hrithik Roshan’s performance and some very exciting action scenes.
The story of the movie: The year is 2016 BC. Sarman(Hrithik Roshan) is an indigo farmer from Sarman, Sindh who lives with his uncle Durjan(Nitish Bharadwaj) and aunt(Kishori Shahane). He travels to Mohenjo Daro to sell the indigo at a better price. The moment he steps into the great city, he begins to feel that he belongs here. He also falls in love with Chaani(Pooja Hegde), daughter of the head priest(Manish Chaudhari). However, he’s angry to see the conditions of the common man thanks to the evil ruler Maham(Kabir Bedi) and his son Moonja(Arunoday Singh). Instead of being a silent witness, he decides to raise his voice and start a revolution.
Mohenjo Daro has a thrilling beginning. The scene with the crocodile does catch one’s attention. From the trailers, the city of Mohenjo Daro seemed unconvincing. But that’s only in the wide shots. See the scenes of Sarman going through the small lanes and arriving at the market place and one realizes that the team has worked very hard in recreating the pre-historic era and has succeeded as well. The film never goes on a high(except for one sequence in the second half) but yet, one enjoys the manner in which Sarman falls for Chaani, takes panga with Moonja and sings and dances. The intermission point is very exciting. The portion immediately after the intermission makes a lot of things clear about Sarman’s past and that adds to the fun. But the best part of the film is reserved when Sarman has to fight the cannibals. It reminds one of the climax fight of Jodhaa Akbar. But this one is one step ahead as Sarman has to fight not one but two people. And it’s highly entertaining and clapworthy! After such a thrilling sequence, the film sadly goes down. The villain – Maham – is shown too weak. He does nothing to stop Sarman after the cannibal fight and this raises lot of questions. The flood scene is exciting to watch but the buildup is just not right. It just happens too suddenly.
Hrithik Roshan is an actor to watch out for and he proves this yet again with Mohenjo Daro! He’s completely into his character and entertains with his antics. It might be difficult for this film to become a huge box office success but here’s hoping that it happens for Hrithik’s sake. He deserves it! Pooja Hegde is an exciting find. She is very beautiful but she’s quite a talented actor too. Kabir Bedi looks cool in his evil avatar and as always, he gives a fine performance. Arunoday Singh’s act surprisingly reminds one of his performance in Main Tera Hero. He’s good but is getting repetitive now. Manish Chaudhari, Nitish Bharadwaj and Kishori Shahane leave a mark. Sharad Kelkar and Narendra Jha are fine. Diganta Hazarika(Lothar) is terrific and leaves a lasting impact even in a supporting role! Umang Vyas is damn good as Sarman’s sidekick.
A R Rahman’s music has the period feel that goes well with the film. The title song is the most exciting track. Background score is grand and theatrical. Aamar Shetty’s action is damn good. VFX is good in most scenes but could have been better. Few scenes seem very fake. Sanjay Karole’s sets are beautiful. Preeti Mamgain’s dialogues are simple but work very well. Few terms are tweaked and it gives a nice touch to the film. Ashutosh Gowariker’s story is nice but ordinary. In fact, it’s very similar to Baahubali. But Baahubali had an exciting screenplay and Gowariker fails to get that. The film is never consistent – it’s decent in the first hour, exciting in the fight scene and then decent to okayish in the last 20-25 minutes. As a director, he has done a far better job but this time, he’s just not able to. Here’s hoping he gets back to his form with his next!
Some of the best scenes:
Sarman’s crocodile fight
Sarman reaches Mohenjo Daro
Sarman meets Chaani
Sarman saves Chaani’s life
Sarman meets Moonja
Sarman with Chaani in her changing room
The intermission point
Sarman learns about his past
Sarman’s fight with the cannibals
10.The flood scene
On the whole, Mohenjo Daro is a good one time watch film. Apart from the historical inaccuracies, the execution is inconsistent. It goes on a high in the middle of the second half and the scenes after that fail to reach to that level. Hrithik however is damn good and newcomer Pooja Hegde too leaves a huge mark. The film is made on a grand scale and for this grandness, its worth watching on the big screen!
