Jodhaa Akbar

In ancient Hindustan, conquering Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar is searching for the path of righteous, kind ruling. He refuses to be a barbaric, bloodthirsty tyrant. But when his own family turns on him, even Akbar can’t abstain from violence. On top of everything, he agrees to marry Princess Jodhaa. Even though she’s a Hindu and he’s a Muslim, Jodhaa eventually becomes the one reliable person in the young ruler’s life.

With its color blasting mastodon length of four hours, “Jodhaa Akbar” contains everything that a romantic drama set in the sixteenth century should: bold men fighting elephants, chivalrous sword duels, gigantic desert battles and sudden outbursts of song and dance. This is an old-school styled epic, much in the vein of seminal Hollywood classics such as “Cleopatra”. But it also wrestles with questions about religion and different social standards. And in the midst of it all, one strong woman stands alone.