Jodhaa Akbar, a preview
- rediff.com
There was a buzz in the air. And this time it was neither Shah Rukh Khan's 'Om Shanti Om' nor Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Saawariya' causing the stir.
Rather, it was Ashutosh Gowarikar's 'Jodhaa Akbar,' which is about the epic love story between Emperor Akbar and a certain Rajput princess, that was causing a stir at the Adlabs theatre in Mumbai's Film City.
The occasion? The director was hosting the first ever preview of his huge film, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Jodhaa Akbar is scheduled for release on January 25.
Judging from the preview, the film holds a lot of promise. The promos sees Hrithik dressed in various avatars of the Emperor with A R Rahman's song, Marhaba, playing in the background. One scene sees him taming an elephant, while another sees him meeting Ash for marriage.
Ash, on the other hand, doesn't speak much and is shown dressed in fine bridal wear, getting ready for her grand wedding.
Speaking about the film, Ashutosh said he did not focus completely on history though he has taken care not to hurt the religious sentiments of people.
"It is not history, but the epic romance of Jodhaa and Akbar," Ashutosh explains.
Asked if the film would be in the league of the classic, Mughal-E-Azam, Ashutosh quipped, "This love story came first in history; then Mughal-E-Azam followed."
He also brushed aside the fact that Hrithik hardly looked anything like Emperor Akbar; he simply looked like Hrithik Roshan. "Hrithik looked like Hrithik in Krrish. In my film, he looks like Emperor Akbar," he said.
"Haider Ali (actor in the popular television serial, Nukkad) was the one who came to me with the script of Jodhaa Akbar, after Lagaan," Ashutosh continued. "I loved it and wanted to do it but didn't have the time then. So I did Swades first."
But making Jodhaa was easier said than done for Ashutosh as he had to take the requisite permissions, and also do a lot of legwork before the film shoot.
"I had to do a lot of homework," he said. "I met some historians like Irfan Habib of Aligarh Muslim University and also attended seminars to know more about the subject before I decided to make the film."
The film, which will portray 15 years of the life of the emperor, has five songs. The music will be released on November 27.
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