Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Jodhaa Akbar zindabad!

Thanks to the package which I received in the post from a very kind friend, I finally got to see Jodhaa Akbar. And, like I said to said friend, I surprised myself by watching the movie from start to finish without wishing I could fast-forward through large chunks. Yeah, I actually liked the movie. Sure, there were a few scenes that were mildly embarrassing to watch for their ineptness, and some slightly overdone sword-fight scenes with Ash and Hrithik… but on the whole, the movie was very watchable.

I cant pinpoint any particular reason why I liked the movie, despite it being a looooooong one. But I’d say that the lack of crappy dream duet songs went a long way in making me feel very kindly towards Ashutosh Gowariker (incidentally, isnt that a glorious name? It’s got such an impressive mouthfeel. Ashutosh Gowariker. Ashutosh Gowariker. Ashutosh Gowariker.) and his historically inaccurate - or artistically rewritten, to put it kindly - extravaganza of a movie. The very few songs the movie had were really rather lovely – no unpleasant surprises there from A R Rahman – and very listenable. That was a plus too.

Also, Aishwarya Rai kindly desisted from acting coy and chirpy and was, instead, quite dignified and sad and restrained and stunningly beautiful in her role. If I was religious, I would have done an elaborate puja for that small major mercy. I much prefer her plastic sadness to her plastic contrived chirpiness. I will NEVER forget the two nauseatingly awful minutes that I managed to watch of her in "Bride and Prejudice"...

Back to Jodhaa Akbar - it didn’t hurt, of course, that Hrithik Roshan played Akbar. Having seen him in the movie, I cant conceive of any other actor – now or in the past – who could have carried off that role looking quite as gorgeous or impressive or aristocratic. Is that man eye-candy or what! I’ve not seen any of his other movies, but I’ve always thought he looked really good. And now I’m a firm Hrithik-as-Akbar convert. To think that I usually don’t like my men with any variety of moustache or beard whatsoever… and to think that Rakesh Roshan, with his fat baby face and bushy moustache, managed to part-produce such a stunningly goodlooking son!

Yep, I liked Jodhaa Akbar, even if it didn’t have rave reviews anywhere. It joins the (very short) list of movies of which I was (maybe still am, but I haven’t put my fervour to the test by watching them since!) unreasonably and inexplicably fond – Hum, Raja Hindustani, Khalnayak, Mr Natwarlal

Well, I did say 'twas inexplicable.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have EXACTLY the same feelings about Ashutosh Gow's name. Though it's too long too write! Didn't like Jodha Akbar as much as Lagaan but maybe that's because we had to sit on the front row and I got a crick in the neck.

Anonymous said...

I meant in the front row. Sigh.

Pollux aka Paps said...

Oh yeah, am sure you can appreciate why I was drooling so much after I watched the movie. For me, the connection to history was also a motivator in watching the movie;-)

Radha said...

Shyamali, I want to watch it too! Please send me a copy of the CD as soon as possible.

After all, remember that it was your own little sis who turned you on to Jodhaa-Akbar in the first place :P