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Cinema Plus
Epic scale
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As “Jodhaa Akbar” readies for release, director Ashutosh Gowarikar talks to anuj kumar about the making of the royal saga
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Ashutosh Gowarikar seems to be taking the biggest risk of his career. It is not that he hasn’t flirted with the unfamiliar in the past. Lagaan and Swades were not safe by any Bollywood standard, but with Jodhaa Akbar, he is treading the expansive yet dangerous territory where fact meets fiction.
Ashutosh reflects on the ‘epic romance’, which is releasing a day after Valentine’s Day. “To me, every film is a risk. My focus has always been to tell a story as engagingly as possible. After Swades, I wanted to tell a love story and when my friend Hyder Ali narrated this 16th Century love story between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput princess, it fascinated me. In the absence of historical material, I felt we have taken this alliance as political for granted. I have tried to look at it in a new light. The story is rooted in history but then we have imagined a lot, as nobody knows what happened in the privacy of their chambers,” says Ashutosh.
Some historians have questioned the very existence of Jodha Bai and some are of the view that it was Jehangir who had one of the wives by that name. “The historians are divided over the name, not the person. Most of them agree Akbar married the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber. Jehangir was born out of this wedlock,” says Ashutosh.
In-depth research
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 Badauni’s ‘Muntakhib-al-Tawarikh’.”
He also went to the Aligarh Muslim University. “I was told there was no historical reference to Jodha Bai.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.”
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 public memory. “Go to Agra and every guide will tell you Akbar’s wife was Jodha Bai. We have structures such as Jodha Bai Ka Rauza in Fatehpur Sikri.”
Moving on to other aspects, Ashutosh says he has captured important incidents in the life of Akbar. “I have tried to unravel why only Akbar is called ‘The Great’. His childhood was spent on the battlefield and his remarkable knowledge left many speechless. He had great respect for other religions and was against prisoners of war.”
Ashutosh wanted to shoot the film in real palaces but heavy tourist traffic made it impossible. “Then we decided that Nitin Desai will recreate them at his studio in Kajrat. He has taken care of minute details.” Similarly, the jewellery has been taken care of by Tanishq whose designers have created real jewellery after studying the miniature paintings of the period. “The royals used different jewellery during different hours of the day. What they wore in court was very different from what they wore in private.” Ashutosh says it hasn’t affected the budget. “We had to complete the film in Rs. 37 crore and we have spent Rs. 40 crore.”
Contrast this to the small-budget, risk-free cinema and Ashutosh says, “We are fast becoming part of world cinema. Ninety and 100-minute formats are a reality. But personally, I can’t do without 180 minutes interspersed with five songs!”
On the choice of actors, Ashutosh says Hrithik and Aishwarya were his original choice. “Both have gone out of their way to understand the nuances of their role and have brought their personal charm to the historical characters.”
Says the director, “I have moved from simplistic stories to mature ones. I look for an element which enriches me as well as the audience. Irrespective of the canvas, I am fascinated by personal ethos.”
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