What a movie! Not a big fan of cross-over movies but this one was great. ... Collapse

It requires courage, prowess, patience, aptitude, knowledge, passion and of course, loads of currency to attempt a movie like this. But more than anything else, it requires your firm belief in the subject, the belief to attempt a historical when they are considered an absolute no-no in the industry, the belief to spend almost Rs. 40 crore in a film that could go either ways.



It's blasphemous to compare ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ and 'Jodhaa Akbar'. While ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ was primarily about the legendary romance between Salim and Anarkali, a subject that has been attempted quite a few times on the Hindi screen before, 'Jodhaa Akbar' is about the relationship that the young Akbar shared with Jodhaa.



A lot has been said and written about its length [3.20 hours]. But once into 'Jodhaa Akbar' , the sequence of events, the drama, the romance, the war… every aspect keeps you mesmerised. Oh yes, the length does pinch you at one crucial point (second hour), which is relatively shorter, when a song breaks out. Otherwise, the 3 + hours are very well spent.



When you watch historicals like ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ and ‘Razia Sultan’, the usage of chaste Urdu is difficult to comprehend at times. Not here! The language is simplified - Akbar speaks in Urdu, Jodhaa in Hindi - and it's easy to decipher.



As a cinematic experience, it would be wrong to compare ‘Jodha Akbar’ to any of Ashutosh Gowariker's previous endeavors. Why, it would be erroneous to compare the film with any film ever made before in this genre? This one stands out and stands out the tallest.



To sum up, 'Jodhaa Akbar' leaves you spellbound, enthralled, entranced and awestruck. Ashutosh Gowariker makes the legendary characters come alive on screen.



Set in the sixteenth century, 'Jodhaa Akbar' is a love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa. Little did Akbar [Hrithik Roshan] know that when he married Jodhaa [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan], he would be embarking upon a new journey -- the journey of true love?



The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer [Kulbhushan Kharbanda], Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbar's biggest challenge now did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of this defiant princess.



One of the prime reasons why 'Jodhaa Akbar' works is because the present-day viewer is unaware of the romance between Akbar and Jodhaa. Sure, we all know of Akbar as a great emperor, but the love story makes for a refreshing subject. And the execution of a number of sequences makes 'Jodhaa Akbar' extremely special.



Ashutosh Gowariker knows that historicals have to be simplified while narrating on celluloid so that the moviegoer is able to grasp and comprehend the plotline and the sequence of events. Thankfully, 'Jodhaa Akbar' is not in the least difficult to decipher. Gowariker's handling of the subject deserves the highest praise, for it's not everyday that you come across a film like 'Jodhaa Akbar'.



A.R. Rahman's music is not the type that you take to instantly, but yes, it gels beautifully with the mood of the film. 'Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah' and 'Jashn-e-Bahara' are the best tracks in terms of tune. In terms of choreography, 'Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah' is awe-inspiring, while the execution of 'Khwaja Mere Khwaja' is outstanding. Rahman's background score is simply extra-ordinary.



There's no room for dullness in Haider Ali and Gowariker's screenplay. The writing is tight, the drama keeps you hooked and the romantic track is wonderful. The film also talks of secularism, an issue so vital in today's times. K.P. Saxena's dialogues are amazing. The writer comes up with several gems, yet again. Kiran Deohans' cinematography matches international standards. The movement of camera at various places, especially in the battlefield, is breath-taking. Also, the D.O.P. captures the grandeur to the fullest. The production design [Nitin Chandrakant Desai] is, again, awesome. Recreating the bygone era requires not just money, but also the vision and Desai proves his supremacy yet again.



Be it the war sequences or the sword fights or general action, Ravi Dewan's contribution to the film is incredible. Especially noteworthy is the fight between Hrithik and Nikitin Dheer in the climax. It's simply outstanding! Editing [Ballu Saluja] is perfect, although the romantic song between Akbar and Jodha could be shortened in the second hour. The costumes [Neeta Lulla] as also the jewelry also deserve special mention.



'Jodhaa Akbar' also works because of the right casting. It's difficult to imagine anyone else in the role of Emperor Akbar. Hrithik seems born to play this role and he enacts it with such precision, such flourish, such confidence that it leaves you asking for more. A mind-boggling performance without doubt!



Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is superb. Oh yes, she looks ethereal -- a compliment she has heard a trillion times before. What's new in that? But watch her emote in this film. You realise the amazing talent that has hitherto not been tapped by any movie-maker. A flawless performance indeed!



'Jodhaa Akbar' has a host of characters, but the ones whom you carry home, besides Hrithik and Ash, are Sonu Sood [excellent], Nikitin Dheer [fantastic], Ila Arun [electrifying; her finest work so far], Punam S. Sinha [graceful], Kulbhushan Kharbanda [perfect], Raza Murad [effective] and Rajesh Vivek [good]. Amitabh Bachchan's rich barritone voice adds lustre to the magnum opus.



On the whole, 'Jodhaa Akbar' is, without a shred of doubt, a brilliant film in all respects. This historical has all it takes to prove the first blockbuster of 2008. ... More ... Collapse

Set in modern day India, Swades is a film that tackles the issues that development throws up on a grass root level. It is to this India, which is colorful, heterogeneous and complex that Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh Khan), a bright young scientist working as a project manager in NASA, returns to on a quest to find his childhood nanny. The film uses the contrast between the highly developed world of NASA, which has been at the forefront of advances in space research, and this world back home in India, which is at the crossroads of development. Mohan's simple quest becomes the journey that every one of us goes through in search of that metaphysical and elusive place called 'home'. ... More ... Collapse

As the team’s captain puts it: “It is not about football”.



Yes, Vivek Agnihotri’s film ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’ is about everything else except football. It is about racism towards south Asians in Britain, and it is about the rise of the underdogs.



The director never makes an attempt to penetrate into the game. Rather, he is so obsessed with the idea of projecting racism that he pitches the entire plot of the movie on it. Not a single gora in the film is shown as a friend of the Asians of the Southall community. John Abraham’s character Sunny, who plays for a team of whites (Aston), is repeatedly warned by his dad and a Southall coach that a bitter reality awaits him. That reality strikes home when John, despite being one of the best players, is dropped from the Aston team just because of his skin colour.



Dear Mr. Agnihotri, admitted that racism exists in the UK. But you show it in extremes in your movie.



Without beating about the bush let me come to the point. ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’ is a pretty average film with just a few good sequences that come too late to save the sinking ship.



The movie does remind you of Chak De India in parts – a coach with a sordid past, a ragtag team of underdogs, ego clashes within the team, and the penultimate rise of the minnows. But ‘Goal’ fails to do even half of what ‘CDI’ did. ‘Goal’ doesn’t evoke a sense of patriotism, it doesn’t stir your blood, and it only manages to provide you with some wishy-washy entertainment.



Shaan ( Arshad Warsi ) is the captain of the Southall football club, comprising of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi players. The club is only for namesake, its field being used for parties and weddings to earn the extra buck. There is no coach. The players are pot-bellied and flat-footed. No wonder, the club hasn’t won a tournament for decades.



Now, a bigger danger looms over the club. If they don’t pay their pending lease of the last seven years, the players risk losing the club to the greedy sharks who want to make money out of turning the place into a commercial complex. Their only hope is to win the Combined Counties Football League in England and save the club through the prize money of 3 million.



Shaan finds a new coach, Tony Singh ( Boman Irani ), for the team. In turn, Tony finds a new striker Sunny ( John Abraham ) who has been dropped from an English team because of his color. But Sunny and Shaan don’t like each other.



Aah…I almost forgot. There is also Shaan’s sister Rumana ( Bipasha Basu ) who has a soft corner for Sunny and joins the team as the physiotherapist.



As the underdogs of Southall pull up their socks and take on the field with renewed vigour, the club’s fortune begins to turn around. The end is predictable. The underdogs will eventually prevail, but not without crossing many a hurdle.



‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’ has flaws one too many. Firstly, the movie lacks genuine humour (except a few moments). Secondly, the racist angle is stretched beyond credibility. The angst of the South Asians towards the whites is understandable, but the director harps on it time and again, unwillingly making the coloured ones look no less racist. For instance, check out the tirade of John’s sidekick after John is dropped from an English team.



Director Vivek Agnihotri needs a lesson in subtlety. His idea of subtlety is Tony’s wife saying how beautiful different flowers look in a pot when Shaan complains about Sunny being too English to be a part of the Southall team. And how ‘subtle’ was Agnihotri’s idea of showing the face of Sunny’s dad on the stadium’s big viewer-screen so that coach Tony can recognize the old man as the same person who saved him from a racist attack many years ago.



As far as performances go, John Abraham shows slight improvement in his acting abilities. The guy with a killer smile not just displays his natural flair at football, he also manages to emote well in good many scenes. Arshad Warsi is dependable as usual. His histrionics are in place. But his frame comes across a tad too stout to make him look like a footballer.



Bipasha’s role doesn’t put any great demands on her. Boman Irani is just about okay.



‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’ does have a few engrossing and emotional moments, mostly in the second half. The music is pretty forgettable. The team’s anthem “Halla Bol” only arouses embarrassment for a viewer.



However, if you are a fan of either John Abraham or football, you will manage to sit through a viewing of ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’. ... More ... Collapse