They may not make ’em like they used to in Hollywood, but sometimes in India they still do. “Jodhaa Akbar,” a historical romance directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, is filmmaking on the grand scale of Cecil B.
DeMille, with romance, stirring battles, a cast of thousands and enough elephants and gold to sink the Titanic. With so much attention focused on Islamic extremism, now seems an apt time for a movie about Akbar, the 16th-century Muslim emperor in India, whose legacy is one of enlightened rule and almost radical religious tolerance. “Jodhaa Akbar” begins before all that, when the young Akbar is still busy expanding the Mughal empire. This gives Mr. Gowariker a chance for some cinematic derring-do — in one spectacular shot the camera rushes back to avoid being trampled by two armies — and to show the seeds of what made Akbar one of history’s good guys. He fights with purpose (to consolidate Hindustan) but not without mercy. The battles, though, are really a windup to the love story that propels the film.
Oct 30, 2018 - Jodha Akbar is an Indian historical movie based on the famous love story of Third Mughal Emperor and Rajput princess Mariam-uz-Zamani.
Forging a political alliance, Akbar marries Jodhaa, a Rajput princess (a Hindu), and then sets out to win her heart. These royals are played by Hrithik Roshan and Bachchan, two rather astonishing specimens of human beauty. Neither is a great actor, but both know what’s required of a star and seem to the palace born. Bachchan makes Jodhaa’s willfulness a sign of character, especially when she lays down the conditions for her marriage: She will remain a Hindu and would like a small temple for her Krishna statue in the Mughal fort. As Akbar, the green-eyed Mr.