Many of us Mughal-e-Azam fans just could not get rid of the memories of K.Asif’s Akbar while we were watching Gowariker’s
Jodaa Akbar. Many comparisons and contrasts came to mind with regard to the old time classical film. We, who had grown used to the stocky, regal, mustachioed Akbar had to accommodate a tall, muscular and youthful Akbar. We also remembered the middle aged Jodhaa who was the icon of ideal wifehood and motherhood and who was constantly under pressure whereas the new Jodhaa was defiant and youthful. We also wondered why Mughal-e- Azam had not fanned any resentment back then in the 60’s. Contrary to any aspersions of
communal overtones, Jodhaa Akbar or Jodhaa’s Akbar as I prefer to call it, stands out as a feminist’s delight. As a person involved with literature and feminist writing—I found Jodhaa more concerned about her rights and privileges than with her religion. The film is replete with events that show the strength, valour, pride, heroism and grandeur of Jodhaa. She may be a creation of fictionalized History where the past is seen in terms of the present--- but an overdose of anything can become tiring and nonsensical. From the beginning of the film it is not Akbar who calls the shots but Jodhaa. He must win her heart before the marriage can be consummated, she fumbles amidst pots and pans in the kitchen to make him eat her fare (vegetarian food---but it is debatable whether Rajputs were actually vegetarian), he must defeat her in a sword fight before she agrees to return home with him. Interestingly the grand
monarch is nearly beaten but for the interruption of a maid because of which the sword slips from Jodhaa’s hand and reluctantly she has to admit defeat. Add to this the scene where Jodhaa is learning calligraphy and writes out Akbar’s name and asks him to read it. The poor monarch admits that he is unlettered and the lettered,
pativrata queen has to read out her husband’s name! Even the conservative Muslim element in the court takes a bashing from the Emperor himself when they try to oppose him for doling out favours to Jodhaa. Coming to the point then, it is difficult to see any real cause for anger in a film which aims to promote communal harmony, albeit through a nonsensical approach by turning a monarch like Akbar into a puppet in Jodhaa’s hands. After viewing the powerful status of Jodhaa in the film, one wonders what it is that has caused a protest. Perhaps one reason for protest is the fact that a Muslim monarch should have married a Rajput princess which stems from a deep rooted sexual anxiety about preserving one’s culture ignoring of course the fact that modern Hindustan today has a multicultural identity. However Gowariker has removed the sting by making Jodhaa a metaphor for Hindustan and unless Akbar the foreigner wins over the hearts of the people of Hindustan, she will not accept him. Perhaps it’s better to take this mix of fact and fantasy with a pinch of salt, as for all of us sensitive souls the most probable truth is that Jodhaa as one of several Hindu wives of Akbar was a symbol of his spirit of tolerance and commitment to communal harmony.
Sami Rafiq, Dept. of English, Faculty of Arts, AligarhMuslimUniversity, Aligarh 202002