Jodha Akbar: Distortion of Historical Facts

These days, controversies are looming over the film 'Jodha Akbar' starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan which was released on February 15, 2008 all over India except Rajasthan, due to the reason that director Ashutosh Gowariker has distorted the historical facts in the same.

According to the protesters the film has hurt the feelings of Rajputs as Jodha Bai was a Rajput lady. Aggravated by the distortion of the facts, the Rajput community of Rajasthan has threatened not only to boycott Jodha Akbar, but also to prohibit its release in the Rajasthan State. Noted historians have also claimed that the base of the movie, i.e. the relationship between Jodha and Akbar is completely flawed and inaccurate.

According to the historical evidences, Jodha Bai was not the Mughal emperor Akbar’s wife as portrayed in the movie; neither was she the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber fort near Jaipur.

In fact, Jodha was the daughter of Motaraja Udai Singh of Marwar and was the wife of Akbar’s son Jehangir (also known as Salim). Through this relationship, Jodha became the daughter-in-law of Akbar and not his wife as depicted in the film. As per the historical evidences, it was Jehangir who married princess of Jodhpur, later known as Jodha Bai.

If we go by history, it is mentioned that Akbar entered into an alliance with the Rajput family, after he married daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber. But the point of controversy evoke here as there is no proof that she was called as Jodhaa Bai. Infact it is mentioned that she was later called as Maryam Rahmani. Trying to give full stop to the controversy Gowarikar says that he has taken consent from the Royal Family of Jaipur to go ahead with the name Jodhaa Bai.

Jodhaa Akbar controversy seems to be never ending but even if the Rajputs claim the history to be distorted, it is too late to protest. The censor board takes into account everything, then why they didn't find anything objectionable in the content and cleared the film? The censor board has only passed the film without any objection. This question needs to be addressed. The director of the film, Ashutosh, has cast the film well and his brilliant effort has made ‘Jodha Akbar’ a laudable film.

E-mail author: Madhuri Vasnani is the Assistant Editor at CUTS International, Jaipur and can be contacted at madhurivasnani@rediffmail.com .