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March of royalty


10 January 2008

Director Ashutosh Gowarikar is fascinated by the relationship between the two historical figures and their interest in each other after marriage


YOUNG AND dynamic director Ashutosh Gowariker, who is ready with Jodhaa-Akbar, says he was fascinated by the relationship that the two historical figures must have shared after marriage.

'I feel if today we make a story about the past, it must be correlated to the present. And 'Jodhaa-Akbar' is as relevant to the present as arranged marriages. Jodha and Akbar shared a perfect arranged marriage. I was fascinated by how their relationship must have grown after marriage,' Gowariker told IANS.

Keeping the young generation in mind, the director has avoided a heavy dose of Urdu.

Starring Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan in the lead roles, the film is set to hit the marquee on February 15. The director is dubbing it in Telugu and Tamil as well. Excerpts from the interview:

After Lagaan, you return to a period film in Jodhaa-Akbar?

You might say that. But I call Lagaan a period film. Jodhaa-Akbar is to me a historical. Anything after 1857 is a period film for me. Anything before that is a historical. Jodhaa-Akbar is certainly not a costume drama. It isn't set in a never-never land. I'd call Mughal-e-Azam a historical though its focus was different from mine.

I feel if today we make a story about the past, it must be correlated to the present. And Jodhaa-Akbar is as relevant to present times as arranged marriages. Jodha and Akbar shared a perfect arranged marriage. I was fascinated by how their relationship must have grown after marriage. There was no reference in any books about what happened between them. I've taken extreme care to make sure viewers believe in the relationship.

How much have you stressed the religious difference between Jodha and Akbar?

It's important but not stressed in my film. Let's not forget, Akbar's marriage to Jodhabai was no common occurrence. It had a nationwide reverberation 450 years ago when society was far more conservative. How did their marriage affect those times? That's a question relevant even today. But I'm not jingoistic in my treatment.

Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan have very contemporary personalities?

That won't be a problem. The audience will come in and forget everything about Hrithik and Aishwarya. Hrithik-Aishwarya's pairing is incredible. They're extremely charismatic and good-looking. They were a huge success in the contemporary Dhoom 2. That can only help my film, not harm it.

What audiences will see in my film are Jodha and Akbar. At least that's what I've tried to ensure through their looks, body language and behaviour. I wanted to make my historical as believable as I'd like to see it being. Every element big or small, from the texture of the clothes to the sets, décor, dialogues and the protocol, even the incidental sounds of birds and animals, they all had to be just right for me. I'm tired of filmmakers wondering where those good old days have gone. I wanted to reclaim those days. It took me two years of pre-production before I got into my first shot.

Film analysts feel history has no relevance for today's average youngster?

I agree. Even as a child myself historical films never interested me. But when I saw Mughal-e-Azam on TV, I connected to it because it was a story of lovers separated by parental opposition. That the parents were historical figures was incidental.

I feel the story has to be connectable to the audience. Hyder Ali, who wrote Jodhaa-Abkar, told me, 'In Mughal-e-Azam the focus was so much on Salim and Anarkali, nobody asked a fundamental question. How did Akbar come to marry Jodhabai in spite of their religious and cultural divide? I immediately reacted to their alliance. I saw an interesting story there that needed to be told.

As for the youngsters, I had one rule of connectivity in my range of vision. Any word or dialogue that I didn't understand in Urdu I kept out. I've no interest in impressing audiences with my knowledge of Urdu, Hindi or even literature. I feel literature is for the books, and that's where it should stay. I needed to reach out to the masses.

So is Jodhaa-Akbar kitsch?

No. I've referred to literature and academia. But the Akbarnama was in Pharsi. It doesn't mean I'd use Pharsi in my film. I want Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Bengal to understand the film. I'm dubbing the film into Telugu and Tamil. Each language has its own regality and I'm going by the individual regality of the province. I had one vision before me when I started making this film. It was the world of the Amar Chitra Katha. I've grown up on that world.

Are you happy with the end product?

Oh! it has been tremendously enriching. So far the Mughal period was part of textbooks. I always wondered about the battles and the durbar intrigue. The Mughal period was known for its lavishness, so much so that studio bosses in Hollywood from the golden period were not called movie czars or movie nawabs. They were called movie moguls.

The film centers around the romance between the Mughal Emperor Akbar, played by Hrithik Roshan and his Hindu wife, Jodhabai, played by Aishwarya. The music will be composed by acclaimed music composer A. R. Rahman.

In reality Akbar's wife was never known as Jodhabai. The use of the name Jodhabai appears to have been a 19th century mistake. Her real name was Hira-kunwari[/B] before marriage and after marriage she was known as Mariam-uz-Zamani. While this name change is debatable, Jodha, however, remained Hindu for the rest of her life she was married to Akbar.

According to history and some historical texts, Akbar actually did meet Jodha before they were married. It was Akbar who proposed to her father for her hand in marriage to create an alliance and also because he somehow became very fond of her. Akbar had many wives, some of them Rajput princesses.

Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa.
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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 did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of Jodhaa – a love hidden deep below resentment and extreme prejudice. Jodhaa-Akbar is their untold love story.
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Little did Akbar know that when he married Jodhaa (Aishwaria), 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.
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I saw the ad for this film last weekend. Looks like it will be a hit.

Hritikh looks good with eyeliner

quote:

Originally posted by Petal29:
Hritikh looks good with eyeliner

lol, you notice too, its normal for Muslim men to wear surma around the eyes. Some of the hard core Musilms from India and Pakistan wears it especially during eids.

This film maybe a big hit. I hope to see it.

Some use it to ward off “bad-eye” kind of like our tikka.

quote:

Originally posted by Jansher:

quote:

Originally posted by Petal29:
Hritikh looks good with eyeliner

lol, you notice too, its normal for Muslim men to wear surma around the eyes. Some of the hard core Musilms from India and Pakistan wears it especially during eids.

This film maybe a big hit. I hope to see it.

Hi jans

so do I.look at those fab clothes. hey, one of the EPs I found for my uncle's gdad stated caste as Rajpoot. so have some connex there.my broinlaw last name is Jodha.great pairing

Aishwarya Rai at Jodhaa Akbar music launch at the Grand Hyatt, Kalina, Mumbai on 9th Jan 2008. Photo Credit: Sawf News

FASHIONS FOR OUR GNI LADIES: MAYBE A MATCHING NECKWEAR IS MISSING:

Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan at Jodhaa Akbar music launch at the Grand Hyatt, Kalina, Mumbai on 9th Jan 2008. Photo Credit: Sawf News
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19 December 2007 (Sawf News) - Bachchan bahu Aishwarya Rai is excited about her next release Jodhaa Akbar and considers her role as the Rajput princess, who was married to Mogul emperor Akbar to forge a political alliance, as one of her dream roles.
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i cant wait to see this movie!

Saw Aaja Naachle last night. This movie was tailored made for the Great Maduri Dixit. Very good movie.

quote:

Originally posted by RQ:

quote:

Originally posted by Jansher:

quote:

Originally posted by Petal29:
Hritikh looks good with eyeliner

lol, you notice too, its normal for Muslim men to wear surma around the eyes. Some of the hard core Musilms from India and Pakistan wears it especially during eids.

This film maybe a big hit. I hope to see it.

Hi jans

so do I.look at those fab clothes. hey, one of the EPs I found for my uncle's gdad stated caste as Rajpoot. so have some connex there.my broinlaw last name is Jodha.great pairing

You come from all walks of India, Rajput to UP... and so on..