But now it's time to try...
Quite surprisingly, this movie has left an imprint on my heart that I've been unable to shake, and I've been reflecting on my favorite parts and humming the tunes for the past couple of days now.
I was surprised because I really wasn't all that excited to see the film. I'm not a big fan of Hollywood epics (Violence is not my thing and sometimes the battle scenes are tedious), so I really didn't know what to expect in Bollywood. Hrithik and Aishwarya are two of the most physically beautiful creatures on the planet, but I had yet to really connect with them onscreen.
But, being the Bollywood fan that I am, I went to see Jodhaa-Akbar on opening day...only to be turned away at the door of my not-so-local AMC theater because--get this--they hadn't received the second half of the film! Frustrated, I decided I wouldn't go back until I read some of the reviews from my blogging friends...Luckily, Beth, Sanket, and Carla all had positive things to say, as did my friend Mary (who doesn't have time to sit through 3 hour+ movies, but considered this one worth every minute),so I figured I'd better trek on back to AMC next week (when they were expecting the rest of the film to arrive).
And so began my obsession with Jodhaa-Akbar.
Oh, how I loved this film! It stretched to almost four hours, but I honestly did not want it to end. This amazed me because during most three hour movies, I get extremely irritated when I feel like the whole thing is dragging and should just end already (ahem, Karan Johar). But with this movie it was different- I was so entranced that I kept glancing at my watch wishing time would go slower.
You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm just such a sucker for a good love story! And Jodhaa-Akbar was love the way I like it...there was this sweet affection between the two lead characters that eventually grew into passion, instead of the other way around. Watching their love story grow was almost as intense as if it were my own!
I usually think love stories in epic films (in Hollywood, anyway) are forced into the script when the movie is really about the historical events. With Jodhaa-Akbar, there was just the right amount of history, action, and love, with the latter taking center stage. I didn't have to wait for scene after scene of drawn out battle for the love story to resurface-it was always there, weaving in between the more dramatic scenes when I needed it to.
I was extremely impressed with both Hrithik and Aishwayra in this film, but I may be biased since I loved the story so much. I'd seen Hrithik before in Kabhi Khushie Kabhi Gham and Dhoom 2, and found him a bit cold...In Jodhaa-Akbar, this iciness may have still been there, as his character was supposed to be a little intimidating (to some degree) as a Mughal Emperor. However, as he fell in love with Jodhaa and expressed his desire to unite Hindustan, I was caught off guard with his tenderness and compassion. I grew very fond of him in this film and loved his portrayal of Jalaluddin.
This was my favorite Ash performance by far...As with Hrithik, I always thought she could act, but had a hard time connecting with her (with the exception of my recent Devdas revisit) prior to this film.
Here, she was as likable as she was beautiful. Jodhaa had a spunkiness to her, but also a strong bind to her faith, which I could both admire and relate to. She was exquisite and refined as a Rajput princess, looking somewhat like a glass doll (she wore less makeup in this film, and actually looked better than ever, lucky gal). Ash was definitely the best choice for this role...I could see how a mighty Mughal emperor like Jalaluddin would develop a soft spot for her, despite all of her "conditions". Had they stuck someone else in this role, I may not have bought it.
By the way, I happen to be one of the few people who liked the Hrithik/Ash pairing in Dhoom 2. However, I loved them a whole lot more in Jodhaa-Akbar, perhaps because I enjoyed the story so much. One of my favorite parts of the entire film was the song "Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein", a scene I found to be really romantic and incredibly steamy. The increasing tempo of the music matched the building intensity between Jodhaa and Jalaluddin, giving us yet another great example of Bollywood creating some heat onscreen in a tasteful manner. Now why can't Hollywood get this right?
Speaking of the music, I found the entire soundtrack to be unique to anything I'd heard before in Bollywood, but in a very lovely way. Instead of the actors lip-syncing and prancing around (as I happen to also enjoy), we get actual performance-type pieces like "Khwaja Mere Khawaja" and "Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah". These ensembles were so majestic on the big screen that I felt like I was actually there, either in the crowd praising the emperor or sitting outside at the wedding tent. I loved all of the songs, every single one, and have played the soundtrack practically on repeat since I saw the film.
Now, I realize I've done nothing but gush about the film for this entire post, but I just loved it that much. The purity of the love story, the beauty of the whole production, the haunting image of Krishna during "Mann Mohana", Jalaluddin identifying his wife amongst a room of covered women, Sonu Sood in his supporting role, the strong ties both leads had to their unique faith...these are just a few of the things I adored. I may have to make it down to the theater to see this one again, so stained is Jodhaa-Akbar on my heart.
I know its a little hasty to say this off of one viewing, but I think Jodhaa-Akbar is one of my favorite films ever.
