Jodhaa Akbar

* Notes *
Ashutosh Gowariker's historical epic Jodhaa Akbar was finally released on February 15, after being pushed back four times. The film is doing well at the box office, grossing $2,505,703 so far in North America. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan give restrained and elegant performances as Mughal emperor and Rajput princess, respectively.

Filmed in Karjat, the scenes are all rather lavish, like Mughal miniatures come to life. A. R. Rahman's music tended to be heavy-handed and overly-dramatic, though "Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah" was suitably grand, and the choreography was impressive. The battle scenes were considerably less magnificent, though the shots of cannon fire were remarkable. Overall, the movie was extremely beautiful to look at, but the overt moralizing was a bit tiresome. However, it was nice to see a Muslim portrayed in a positive light for a change.

* Tattling *
There were quite a lot of people in the theater for a weeknight showing. Many cellular phones rang and were answered. Some children next to me would not stop moving for the 213 minutes of the film, they ran around, fidgeted, and whispered the whole time.

Jodhaa Akbar was not released in Rajasthan, as some Rajputs protested against the film's historical inaccuracies.