Hopeful Gowarikar has a lot riding on Mughal-era epic

In this digital age, few challenges are as daunting as making an authentic historical romance that will work its magic at the box office.

The last person to try it, Akbar Khan, learnt that to his detriment two years ago with Taj Mahal. The following year JP Dutta’s version of Umrao Jaan bit the dust, and in recent times the only title to gain acceptance was the remastered version of K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam, a 1960 original that was re-released in 2004 and took many by surprise.

It’s worth remembering that Asif needed 10 years to make that career-defining film. So, has Ashutosh Gowarikar, who took just over a year to complete his magnum opus, been over-ambitious or will Friday’s release, Jodhaa Akbar, buck the trend?

If early indications are anything to go by, the director of Lagaan and Swades has positioned himself to do what no one else has done with any measure of authority for well over three decades — since HS Rawail’s 1974 release Laila Majnu — and that is to resuscitate the genre.

The lead pair, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, are as good as they get. Gowarikar says he had joked with them that they would only have to pitch up on set, as they were “the reincarnation of Akbar and Jodhaa”.

The fact that they clicked in Dhoom 2 played no part in his decision to cast them. His mind was made up five years ago when scriptwriter Haider Ali broached the subject. Convincing them was a breeze: all he said to Aish was, “You’ll be my Jodhaa,” and she leapt at the chance; as for Hrithik, Gowarikar told him, “16th century, the Mughals and Akbar,” and that was that.

Besides the dashing lead pair, Gowarikar had other factors in his favour, including AR Rahman’s music score.

Four choreographers, Raju Khan, Ash Kumar, Chinni Prakash and Rekha Prakash, were enlisted for the dance sequences. The latter pair took 15 days to complete one song, the stunning Azeem O’Shaan Shahenshah, in which 1000 dancers in traditional costumes and wielding swords and shields took part.

Add Kiran Deohan’s cinematography and Nitin Desai’s sets, and the opulence so essential to a period piece is certainly in place. Attention was paid to the tiniest details. Top designer Neeta Lulla said the challenge of designing the costumes was “too good to refuse”, and specialist jeweller Tanish was appointed to craft specific pieces.

The movie focuses on a relationship that supposedly altered the course of history. It delves into the political conspiracies of the period and tells of the alliance between the Mughal emperor Jallaludin Mohammed Akbar and Rajput princess Jodhaa. Gowarikar des- cribes it as “a perfect arranged marriage”.

Akbar’s proposal was based not so much on his affection for her but on a desire to expand his empire eastward from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal, and south from the Himalayas to the Godhavari River. Love developed later.

His strategy to achieve this expansion was to win over the Rajputs, and this marriage with a motive helped him to remove the bitterness and distrust the native Hindus felt towards the invading Mughals, and that, in turn, softened the Mughals’ attitude towards them.

This led to Akbar establishing deen-e-elahi, or the divine faith, to reconcile the sectarian differences that divided his subjects by suggesting that no single reli- gion had a monopoly on the truth.

Jodhaa was not merely a pretty wallflower. A fiery Rajput who was skilled in the art of sword-fighting, she wasn’t an easy conquest and she refused to be a political pawn in Akbar’s designs to capture her land.

Gowarikar enlisted scholars and historians from New Delhi, Aligarh, Lucknow, Agra and Jaipur to scrutinise the script, and while he has acknowledged exercising a measure of creative licence, that did not prevent his detractors from voicing their objections.

The Rajput Sabha demanded the right to approve his script, fearing gross distortions. The Sabha contends that Gowarikar is wrong in stating that Jodhaa Bai was the daughter of the ruler of Amer, Bharmal, since historical records show only one Jodhaa Bai, who was the daughter of the ruler of Marwar, Udai Singh, and who was married to Akbar’s son, Jahangir.

The director hopes he’ll get away with it by suggesting that his story is about a chapter that “may” have been a part of history but was not officially recorded.

He maintains there is enough evidence to show that Akbar the Great had a very special attachment to Jodhaa Bai and that the period referred to was when they were between the ages of 18 and 26, and was therefore not documented.

There have been other problems for Gowarikar. An animal anti-cruelty organisation has questioned whether he had the necessary permits to shoot scenes with elephants, camels and horses.

Shooting at some of India’s famous monuments proved another hurdle. India’s Archaeological Society, which maintains these landmarks, imposed so many conditions that Gowarikar had to get his art director, Nitin Desai, to re-create attractions like the palace of Fatehpur Sikri and the Red Fort in Karjat on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Courtesy: Thetimes.co.za

´Jodhaa Akbar´ - Gowariker On The Historical Existence Of Jodha Bai

Some historians have questioned the very existence of a Jodha Bai and some are of the view that it was Jehangir who had one of the wives by this name. Ashutosh says he has heard of it. “The historians are divided over name not the person. Most of them agree that Akbar married the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber but differ over her name.”

He relates his research. “I started from the top. Abul Fazal’s ‘Ain-e-Akbari’ and ‘Akbarnama’ have no reference to Jodha Bai. The name also doesn’t find mention in Jehangir’s memoirs. Similarly, there is no mention of Jodha Bai in Bada’uni’s ‘Muntakhib-al-Tawarikh’.”

He also went to the Aligarh Muslim University, one of the biggest centres for the study of medieval history. “There also I was told that there is no historical reference to Jodha Bai. However, when you study Rajput history there is a mention of Jodha Bai in the works of K.L. Khurana, A.L. Shrivastav and Munni Lal. At the same time in ‘Kachchawon ka Itihas’ she is mentioned by the name of Harika Bai. In another book she is called Manmati and Shahi Bai.”

History also tells us that there was hardly any concept of a couple in Moghul royalty. Emperors had many wives, some to consolidate political alliances and others for physical needs. “The perception of togetherness keeps on changing with times. What we know for sure is Jehangir was born out of this wedlock,” argues Ashutosh.

On Jehangir having one wife with a similar name, Ashutosh points out what historian Jadunath Sarkar says. “Uday Singh of Jaipur married his daughter to Jehangir. Her name was Mira Bai but she was also known as Jodh Bai and not Jodha Bai.”

At the end of this historical discussion, Ashutosh says he appeals to the historians to appreciate the fact that he has used the name which is etched in the public memory.

Has it something to do with ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, where Durga Khote played Jodha Bai? “Not really. Go to Agra and every guide will tell you Akbar’s wife was Jodha Bai. If they are passing wrong information, why aren’t they removed? We have structures like Jodha Bai Ka Rauza in Fatehpur Sikri.”

Courtesy: Planetbollywood.com