The Hindu : Front Page : No historical distortions in ‘Jodhaa Akbar,’ say film-makers

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No historical distortions in ‘Jodhaa Akbar,’ say film-makers

“A tremendous amount of research has gone into the movie”

— Photo: Subir Roy

Protests being held before a theatre where the film Jodha Akbar is being screened in Lucknow on Friday.

New Delhi: As period romance ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ hit the screens worldwide on Friday, its makers asserted there were no historical distortions.

“We have taken every precaution. A tremendous amount of research has gone into the movie,” Siddharth Roy Kapoor, executive vice president (Marketing and Distribution) of UTV Motion Pictures, told PTI.

He said “certain elements” were trying to create problems to force filmmakers to stay away from certain topics.

“Judgment is being made on the basis of media reports. People should first see the film and then comment,” Mr. Kapoor said.

The much-awaited film directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, which portrays the epic romance between Mughal emperor Akbar and Rajput princess Jodha Bai, was released on 1,500 screens across 26 countries.

The film stars Hrithik Roshan as Akbar and Aishwarya Rai as Jodha Bai.

In India, the film has been released in around 1,300 theatres barring cinema halls in Rajasthan where several Rajput groups have protested against “distortion of historical facts” in the movie.

However, Mr. Kapoor said his company has made unprecedented arrangements to make ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ the first Indian film to get such a huge release.

“We have made an unprecedented distribution strategy to ensure that the film can be viewed by the maximum possible audience in the very week of its release,” he added.

The movie, however, got a mixed response in the national capital.

“It’s a very good movie and Gowarikar’s depiction of romance between Akbar and Jodha Bai is very convincing,” said Rohan, who watched the film in Satyam cinema hall in South Delhi.

However, some of the moviegoers found the three-hour-and-20-minute-long movie a little lengthy. — PTI

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