Jodhaa Akbar

Jodhaa Akbar is a 2008 film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and stars Hritik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. The movie tells the story of the marriage between Jodhaa Bai, a Hindu Rajput princess, and Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, a Muslim Mughal emperor, and how it affected India. Akbar marries Jodhaa to create a political alliance between both the Mughals and Rajputs. Akbar receives much protest for this, which partially leads to rebellion, as a few of his family members try to usurp the throne. While Akbar consolidates his ever expanding empire, he and Jodhaa form an intimate and loving relationship that faces many obstacles throughout the film. A great emphasis is also placed on religious tolerance, unity, and the benevolence Akbar has towards Hindus. The film features excellent battle scenes, and beautiful music scores, costuming, and scene design. It is very obvious that much time and money was invested in the creation of this film. As the plot goes, there were many gripping parts. Considering I am one who doesn’t invest much feeling when watching movies (I never cry even during the most heartbreaking of movie scenes), I was often at the edge of my seat and gritting my teeth during frustrating scenes. There has been controversy over the accuracy over the film (For one, Jodhaa is the name of Akbar’s daughter-in-law, and Harka Bai is the name of his first Hindu wife; and far more importantly, there are records of Akbar destroying Hindu temples) it’s a beautiful, enjoyable movie worth watching. -Phasia Brooks-Gainous