Jodha Akbar - Just manages to make the Cut

Our desperation to see the movie on the first day drove us to two multiplexes where we were informed the release has been deferred, obviously to our dismay.

My eyes were frantically searching in all websites for reviews. I wasn't restricting myself to just positive reviews. I had to be very careful in choosing whether to see this one or not as a hat-trick of horrible movie experiences (after Salaam-e-Ishq and Saawariya) was awaiting if I take a bad call. Reviews were presenting a picture like "movie is just okay". I needed to exercise prudence really. But somehow, my gut feeling said "Got for it, for Rahman, for Gowariker, for Hrithik". We advanced our scheduled evening show on wednesday to afternoon show on the same daya after taking into consideration the navigability of Kanpur's forever under construction roads in the night.

We just entered the colossal waste of space, Rave Moti and Adlabs theatre in time to hear Amitabh's customary monologue. We knew we had a daunting task of staying awake and fixed for 3.5 hours. The cozy seat was a source of respite though.

The first moving frame starts with 13 year old Jalaluddin witnessing his general Berham Khan slaying off Hemu's army and giving the sword to young Jalaluddin to chop off Hemu's head which the prince refuses to do as he considered Kings, though defeated deserved respect and not death. Wait, If I start narrating frame by frame, I might have to write on till my hair turns grey. Whatever little suspense is there will also get spoiled if I intend to do so. So off I step on the accelerator to my feelings about the movie.

The casting: Though you come across many familiar faces from Lagaan and Swades, the characters have been etched to perfection. Lot of care has been given towards attire.

A heavy dose of Urdu is needed to portray the Mughal Emperor's era. The fact that my Hindi itself wasn't good enough made it all the more difficult to get a hang of some long sentences. Nevertheless, the body language and expressions of actors are more than sufficient for you to get the message.

Ashutosh and Hrithik were widely criticized with popular press feeling he doesn't fit the bill. But when you notice the way Hrithik has carried himself throughout the movie, be it in glancing secretively at Aishwarya, taming the elephant, flexing the muscles, wielding the sword, portraying innocence when going inside town in the disguise of an aam aadmi, exploding when he orders death sentence to his foster brother, you can't help but wonder if someone else could have fitted in better than him.

Aishwarya does what was asked of her. She looks beautiful though signs of ageing are becoming more clearly visible. The chemistry between Hrithik and Aishwarya makes for an awesome watch. Especially watch out for the small sword fight between Hrithik and Aishwarya. She has also done some homework in fighting with swords and needs to be appreciated.

The Songs: A R Rahman takes you to the 17th century. The only let down for me was songs like Mann Mohana (first of the movie) and Jashn-e-Bahaara run in some kind of background and are not shown as full fledged videos. Azeem-O-Shaan picturization and Rahman's clever use of instruments make the song look breathtaking. In Lamhon kaa, the last song portrays the differences between the pair closing down finally. My taste buds, probably didn't have the ability to appreciate Khwaja, a sufi song. The gentle dance steps in the video are worth seeing once atleast. Background score, Rahman, the name is enough.

The Sets: The authentic feel has been maintained. But somehow i can't get help the feeling that Ashutosh was showing the same fort in different angles and referring to them as forts in different kingdoms. Whoever expected an Indian version of Troy is in for a disappointment. This movie is not about just how the greatest Mughal Emperor captured the world, it is about how he won over the hearts of the people(This dialogue comes in the movie). The fight sequences of armies looks okay. The climax fight between Akbar and Sharifuddin deserves special mention though for the way it has been picturized.

The Duration: The intermission came after two hours. But I never realized two hours had gone by. The tempo of the movie was slow, unless you have some funny company, there is a reasonable chance of you dosing off in between, especially if you are going after a heavy lunch :). 3.5 hours is long. It does not have the cricket frenzy of Lagaan or the personal touch of Swades. The duration, hence, could make it difficult for people to appreciate. Probably, I can say, you cant expect the audience to come to the theatre and see the movie again. Don't get me wrong. Som scenes are brilliant, but you would think twice if you have to sit through 3.5 hours to watch selected frames alone.

Overall, I would recommend all people longing for good Hindi cinema to see it once. They won't be disappointed. But don't go with sky high expectations of seeing India's answer to Ben Hur or Troy.