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on 2008/1/21 6:57:39
More than four decades ago, K Asif picked up Akbar's son Salim from the pages of history and cast his love story in celluloid.
The magnum opus, 'Mughal-e-Azam', based on the tragic romance between Salim and Anarkali, was a sheer spectacle in terms of grandeur, colour, drama and music. It remains a hit till date.
So now the question is: will Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Jodhaa-Akbar' - starring Indian superhero Hrithik Roshan and beauty queen Aishwarya Rai - weave the same magic?
"People will come to the theatres out of curiosity but the magic of 'Mughal-e-Azam' will always linger. 'Jodhaa-Akbar' is not a love story in the true sense, it was more of a marriage of convenience; hence a bigger challenge for Gowariker to make it in to a convincing love story," Debdatta Mukherjee, a leading model, told.
'Mughal-e-Azam', say old-timers in Bollywood, was based on a 'documented' love story, whereas there "are very few details available about Jodhabai and Akbar. Jodha still remains a mystery. Many historians believe that she was a Rajput princess from Rajasthan and according to some, Raja Mansingh's sister.
"There is no drama associated with their courtship," said an industry veteran.
Gowariker risked making 'Lagaan' in 2001, a period film set in colonial India, and hit the jackpot. And now he is gambling once again by daring to narrate the not-so-familiar love story of Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Akbar and Rajput princess Jodhabai in "Jodhaa-Akbar" releasing Valentine's Day week.
Releasing Feb 15, it's a rather unusual Valentine romance - between a Mughal emperor and a Hindu woman who was the emperor's arranged match. Love grew after marriage and also saw the birth of the heir to the Mughal throne, Jahangir.
