Jodhaa Akbar

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Jodhaa Akbar
Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced by Ronnie Screwvala
Ashutosh Gowariker
Screenplay by Haidar Ali
Ashutosh Gowariker
Story by Haidar Ali
Ashutosh Gowariker
Narrated by Amitabh Bachchan
Starring Hrithik Roshan
Aishwarya Rai
Sonu Sood
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Ila Arun
Music by A. R. Rahman
Cinematography Kiran Deohans
Editing by Ballu Saluja
Distributed by UTV Motion Pictures
Ashutosh Gowariker Productions
Release dates
  • 15 February 2008 (2008-02-15)
Running time 214 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi / Urdu / Tamil / Telugu
Budget INR400 million (US$6.4 million)[1]
Box office INR1.12 billion (US$18 million)[2]

Jodhaa-Akbar is an Indian epic romantic historical drama film released on 15 February 2008.[3] It is directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker, the director of the Academy Award-nominated Lagaan (2001). It stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles. This film also marks the debut of newcomer Abir Abrar. Extensive research went into the making of this film which began shooting at Karjat.[4] This movie was also dubbed in Tamil & Telugu languages.

The film centres around the romance between the Muslim Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, played by Hrithik Roshan, and the Hindu Princess Jodhabai who becomes his wife, played by Aishwarya Rai. The music is composed by acclaimed composer A. R. Rahman. The soundtrack of the movie was released on 19 January 2008.[5] The film has won the Audience Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the São Paulo International Film Festival,[6] two awards at the Golden Minbar International Film Festival,[7] seven Star Screen Awards and five Filmfare Awards, in addition to two nominations at the 3rd Asian Film Awards.[8]

Plot

Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth-century love story about a political marriage of convenience between a Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa.

Political success knew no bounds for Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan). After having secured the Hindu Kush, his empire extends from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal, to the Narmada River. Through a shrewd blend of diplomacy, intimidation and brute force, Akbar won the allegiance of the Rajputs. This allegiance was not universal. But little did Akbar know that when he married Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai), a fiery Rajput princess, in order to further strengthen his relations with the Rajputs, he would in turn be embarking upon a new journey – the journey of true love.

The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer, Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbar's biggest challenge now lies in winning the love of Jodhaa – a love hidden deep below resentment and extreme prejudice.[9]

Historical accuracy

Many of the events portrayed in the movie are based on real events. Certain Rajput groups claimed Jodhaa was married to Akbar's son, Jahangir, not Akbar. The film was not released in 30 cinema theatres in Rajasthan.[10]

Several historians claim that Akbar's Rajput wife was never known as "Jodha Bai" during the Mughal period. According to Professor Shirin Moosvi, a historian of Aligarh Muslim University, neither the Akbarnama (a biography of Akbar commissioned by Akbar himself), nor any historical text from the period refer to her as Jodha Bai.[11] Moosvi notes that the name "Jodha Bai" was first used to refer to Akbar's wife in the 18th and 19th centuries in historical writings.[11] In Tuzk-e-Jahangiri, she is referred as Mariam Zamani.[11]

According to historian Imtiaz Ahmad, the director of the Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library in Patna, the name "Jodha" was used for Akbar's wife for the first time by Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod, in his book Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. According to Ahmad, Tod was not a professional historian.[12] N. R. Farooqi claims that Jodha Bai was not the name of Akbar's Rajput queen; it was the name of Jahangir's Rajput wife.[13]

Ashutosh Gowarikar's reaction was,

“ While making the film I did my best to go by the book. I consulted the best historians and went through the most rigorous research. And there are different names used for Akbar's wife, Jodhaa being one of them. In fact, there's a disclaimer about the Rajput queen's name at the beginning of the film. But to see that, the protesters have to see the film. ”

Protests and legal issues

The portrayal of ethnic Rajput people in the movie was criticised by members of the Rajput community as misleading, politically motivated historical revisionism that minimised Rajput history.[14] The community's protests against the film in some states, and it has been banned by the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttarakhand. However, the producer moved to the Supreme Court by challenging it.[15][16] Later, the Supreme Court of India lifted the ban on screening the film for now in Uttar Pradesh and some towns of Uttarakhand and Haryana. The court scrapped the Uttar Pradesh government ban as well as similar orders by authorities in Dehradun in Uttarkhand and in Ambala, Sonepat and Rewari in Haryana.[17]

Cast

Crew

  • Story: Haidar Ali
  • Screenplay: Haidar Ali & Ashutosh Gowariker
  • Dialogues: K.P.Saxena
  • Make-up Artist: Jamie Wilson
  • Production Design: Nitin Chandrakant Desai
  • Visual Effects: Pankaj Khandpur (Tata Elxsi – Visual Computing Labs)
  • Chief Assistant Director: Karan Malhotra
  • Cinematography: Kiran Deohan

Sikander Kher

Production

Ashutosh Gowariker hired a research team of historians and scholars from New Delhi, Aligarh, Lucknow, Agra and Jaipur to guide him on this film and help him keep things historically accurate. He clarified that the name of the film remains Jodhaa-Akbar and not Akbar-Jodhaa as reported by sections of the media.

Over 80 elephants, 100 horses and 55 camels were used in the movie. The song “Azeem O Shan, Shahenshah” featured about 1,000 dancers in traditional costumes, wielding swords and shields at a grand location in Karjat. The budget of the film was initially Rs.370 million., which shot up to Rs.400 million. Jodhaa-Akbar was supposed to be released in June–December 2007 but was delayed due to unknown issues.[18]

The first television promo was aired on 9 December 2007.

The movie used much gold and kundan jewellery made by Tanishq, including 2 kg of gold for the sword case alone.[19]

Reception

Box office

Jodhaa Akbar collected Rs 59.02 crores in India and was declared a semi hit by Box Office India.[20]

In overseas, it grossed $7,550,000 (Rs 29.92 crores) and was declared a blockbuster. The film grossed $2,100,000 in UK, $3,450,000 in North America, $960,000 in UAE, $450,000 in Australia and $590,000 in rest of the world.[21]

The film ended with a worldwide lifetime gross of ₹112.42 crores ($28,370,000).[22]

Critical reception

The film received a critics rating of 69 on Metacritics,[23] and Rotten Tomatoes has given the film a 78% rating with 7 fresh and 2 rotten reviews.[24]

Anil Sinanan of The Times gave the film four out of five stars stating, "Oscar-nominated Lagaan director Ashutosh Gowariker's sumptuous period epic has all the ingredients of a Cecil B. DeMille entertainer [...] The film ends with a passionate plea for tolerance of all religions in India, a resonant message for modern India."[25] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN also gave the film four out of five stars commenting: "I've never felt this way about any other film, but sitting there in my seat watching Jodhaa Akbar, I felt privileged as a moviegoer. Privileged that such a film had been made, and privileged that it had been made in our times so we can form our own opinions of the film rather than adopt the opinions of previous generations, which we invariably must when looking at older classics."[26] Tajpal Rathore of the BBC gave the film four out of five stars, noting that, "although the 16th-century love story upon which its based might be long forgotten, this endearing treatment sears into the memory through sheer size and scale alone [...] Don't let the running time put you off watching this unashamedly epic tale."[27] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India gave the film three stars, stating that, "Jodhaa Akbar works only because its heart is in the right place. The film talks about a love that transcends all barriers – gender, religion, culture – and dreams of an India where secularism and tolerance are the twin towers that should never ever crumble. And Akbar and Jodhaa are the alluring exponents of this dream." Kazmi also suggests that "if you are willing to shed off all the trappings of history, only then will Jodhaa Akbar work for you."[28] While suggesting that the film is "too long" and that it is "not a history lesson," Rachel Saltz of The New York Times also notes, "in choosing to tell the tale of this emperor and a Muslim-Hindu love story, Mr. Gowariker makes a clear point. As Akbar says, 'Respect for each other's religion will enrich Hindustan.' "[29]

Soundtrack in Hindi

Jodhaa Akbar
Soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman
Released
9 January 2008 (music launch)
18 January 2008 (CD release)
Recorded Panchathan Record Inn and A.M. Studios
Nirvana Studio
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 39:43
Label
UTV Music
Producer Ronnie Screwvala and Ashutosh Gowarikar
A. R. Rahman chronology

Elizabeth: The Golden Age
(2007)		 Jodhaa Akbar
(2008)		 ADA...A Way of Life
(2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Rediff [30]
Planet Bollywood [31]

The acclaimed score and soundtrack of the film was composed by A. R. Rahman, making his third collaboration with Ashutosh Gowariker after Lagaan, and Swades. The official soundtrack contains five songs and two instrumentals. Rahman scored the prewritten lyrics by Javed Akhtar, except for the songs "Khwaja Mere Khwaja" and "Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah". The former was written by Kashif while the latter was by Javed Akthar himself. The music was released on 9 January 2008 and the CDs were out by 18 January. The soundtrack album was met with very positive reviews, with most of the reviewers hailing the album a magnum opus by Rahman. Aakash Gandhi of Planet Bollywood reviewed the album saying "Jodhaa Akbar compositions are magical, spectacular, invigorating and above all a wholesome experience you rarely get in soundtracks these days. When you cannot pick a favorite you know the benchmark has been set consistently high. Indian music has just added another soundtrack to its eternal treasure. I am sure you will join me in congratulating A.R. Rahman on his latest Magnus Opus [sic]."[31]

Track listing
No. TitleArtist(s) Length
1. "Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah"  Mohd. Aslam, Bonnie Chakraborty, Chorus 5:54
2. "Jashn-E-Bahaara"  Javed Ali 5:15
3. "Khwaja Mere Khwaja" (Lyrics: Kashif)A. R. Rahman 6:56
4. "In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein"  Sonu Nigam, Madhushree 6:37
5. "Mann Mohana"  Bela Shende 6:50
6. "Jashn-e-Baharaa"  Instrumental – Flute 5:15
7. "Khwaja Mere Khawaja"  Instrumental – Oboe 2:53
Total length:
 39:43

Soundtrack in Tamil

Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah

Artist(s): Bonnie Chakraborty, Mohammad Aslam


Idayam Idam Mariyathe

Artist(s): Chitra, Karthik


Khwaja Endan Khwaja

Artist(s): AR. Rahman


Mann Mohanaa

Artist(s): Sadhana Sargam


Muzumathi

Artist(s): Srinivas


Music awards

The film emerged out as the biggest winner in many music awards.[32] However in the best music direction category, it lost many mainly to Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, composed by Rahman himself. The fine background score won the film many awards including Filmfare Best Background Score and IIFA Best Background Score. The soundtrack was also nominated in numerous categories.

Mirchi Music Awards[32]
  • Song of the Year – "Jashn-e-Bahara"
  • Male Vocalist of the Year – Javed Ali for "Jashn-e-Bahara"
  • Female Vocalist of the Year – Bela Shende for "Manmohana"
  • Lyricist of the Year – Javed Akhtar for "Jashn-e-Bahara"
  • Technical Award For Film Background Score – A. R. Rahman
  • Technical Award For Song Mixing – H. Sridhar
  • Technical Award For Programming and Arranging – TR Krishna Chetan for "Jashn-e-Bahara"
Others
  • Filmfare Best Background Score – A. R. Rahman
  • Filmfare Best Lyricist Award – Javed Akthar
  • Star Screen Award for Best Background Music – A. R. Rahman
  • Star Screen Award for Best Choreographer – Raju Khan for "Khwaja Mere Khwaja"
  • IIFA Best Music Director Award – A. R. Rahman
  • IIFA Best Lyricist Award – Javed Akthar
  • IIFA Best Male Playback Award – Javed Ali for "Jashn-e-Bahara"
  • IIFA Best Background Score – A. R. Rahman
  • V Shantaram Award for Best Music – A. R. Rahman

Awards[8]

Filmfare Awards

Screen Awards

Won

Nominated

Stardust Awards

IIFA Awards

  • Best Picture
  • Best Director
  • Best Actor
  • Best Music Director
  • Best Lyricist
  • Best Male Playback
  • Best Art Direction
  • Best Background Score
  • Best Costume Design
  • Best Editing
  • Best Makeup

V Shantaram Awards

[34]

International

Golden Minbar International Film Festival of Muslim Cinema (Kazan, Russia)[7]
  • Won, Best Film (Grand Prix) – Ashutosh Gowarikar
  • Won, Best Actor Award – Hrithik Roshan
32nd São Paulo International Film Festival (Brazil, South America)[6]
  • Won, Audience Award for Best Foreign Language Film – Ashutosh Gowarikar
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
  • Nominated, Achievement in Cinematography – Kiiran Deohans
3rd Asian Film Awards
  • Nominated, Best Production Designer – Nitin Chandrakant Desai
  • Nominated, Best Composer – A. R. Rahman

See also

References

  1. ↑ Business data for Jodhaa Akbar from IMDb
  2. ↑ "Top Worldwide Grossers ALL TIME: 37 Films Hit 100 Crore". boxofficeindia. Retrieved 1 February 2014. 
  3. ↑ "25 January 2008". IndiaFM. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-09. 
  4. ↑ "Aishwarya gets summons by Customs Department". IndiaFM. 15 November 2006. Retrieved 2007-10-03. 
  5. ↑ "27 December 2008". JodhaaAkbar.com. 3 December 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-05. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Jodhaa Akbar wins Audience Award at Sao Paulo International Film Fest". Business of Cinema. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-31. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Jodhaa Akbar, Hrithik win awards at Golden Minbar Film Festival in Russia". Bollywood Hungama. 23 October 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-31. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Awards for Jodhaa Akbar (2008)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2009-01-31. 
  9. ↑ "Jodhaa Akbar :: Official Website". Jodhaaakbar.com. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  10. ↑ "Jodhaa Akbar not being screened in Rajasthan". IndiaFM. 16 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Ashley D'Mello (10 December 2005). "Fact, myth blend in re-look at Akbar-Jodha Bai". The Times of India. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
  12. ↑ Syed Firdaus Ashraf (5 February 2008). "Did Jodhabai really exist?". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
  13. ↑ Atul Sethi (24 June 2007). "'Trade, not invasion brought Islam to India'". The Times of India. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
  14. ↑ "Rajputs' reasons behind stopping Jodha Akbar in Rajasthan and elsewhere". Ibosnetwork.com. 11 February 2008. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  15. ↑ "UP bans screening of Jodhaa Akbar". NDTV. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-02. 
  16. ↑ "Court moved against ban on film". The Hindu. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-02. 
  17. ↑ "Supreme Court lifts ban on Jodhaa Akbar, for now". Reuters. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-04. 
  18. ↑ "Success saga!". 
  19. ↑ "Royal jewellery of Jodhaa Akbar". The Hindu. 20 June 2008. 
  20. ↑ http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=127&catName=MjAwMC0yMDA5
  21. ↑ http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=308&catName=TGlmZXRpbWU=
  22. ↑ http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=348&catName=TGlmZXRpbWUgV29ybGR3aWRlIEluIFVTICQ=
  23. ↑ "Jodhaa Akbar". Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  24. ↑ "Jodhaa Akbar @ Rotten Tomatoes". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  25. ↑ Jodhaa Akbar
  26. ↑ "Masand's Verdict: Jodhaa Akbar". Ibnlive.in.com. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  27. ↑ Reviewed by Tajpal Rathore Updated 11 February 2008 (11 February 2008). "Jodhaa Akbar". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  28. ↑ Nikhat Kazmi (15 February 2008). "Jodhaa Akbar". The Times of India. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  29. ↑ Rachel Saltz (Published: 16 February 2008). "Jodhaa Akbar – Movie – Review – The New York Times". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  30. ↑ "Music review: Jodhaa Akbar". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Aakash Gandhi (2009). "Jodhaa Akbar Music Review". Planet Bollywood. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Bella Jaisinghani Jodhaa Akbar rocks music awards The Times of India, 29 March 2009
  33. ↑ "Winners of Max Stardust Awards 2009". Bollywoodhungama.com. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  34. ↑ "Aamir Khan's TZP wins V Shantaram Gold Award; A Wednesday wins silver". Indiantelevision.com. 29 December 2008. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 

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