The recently released blockbuster Jodhaa Akbar has been raising both media interest and political temperatures across India and beyond, raising my hopes in seeing an Indian historial film in the mould of Hollywood greats.

The backdrop is turbulent 16th century India, and the establishment of the Mughal state in the North under the sway of the Emperor Akbar. Set against the turmoil of three centuries of bitter warfare between Hindus and Muslims, and rejuvenated Rajput clans seeking to reclaim the upper hand against their adversaries. The Emperor Akbar wisely realising the limits of his power and the futility of pushing the Hindu warrior clans to the edge began to offer alliance of convenience to the Rajput Kings. Combined with his abandonment of mainstream Islam and the creation of a new religious path, the ‘Din Ilahi’, some of the Hindu kings opened up to Akbar laying the seeds of a stable political structure in India lasting for a hundred years until its fall under the fanatical polices of Akbar’s descendant, Aurangzeb.

The Mughal emperor Akbar opened a new phase in Indian politics based on pragmatic sense. The tidal wave of Turko-Islamic invasions over three centuries had failed to dampen the ardour and religious sprit of the Hindu inhabitants of India. The religions of Buddhism and Zoroastrianism had almost utterly been driven out of India by the relentless conflicts heeded by the advent of Islam to the subcontinent. But combined with a religious revival under the devotional practices of the ‘Bhakti saints’ like Ramanand and Kabir and the revival of the Hindu fighting clans in the north under the Rajput Kings and in the south under the mighty banner of Vijayanagar, the Hindus and Muslims had reached a stalemate by the time the Mughals entered the subcontinent.

All this was seen and understood by the emperor Akbar who wisely decided to conciliate the Hindu warrior clans and make some cosmetic overtures to the Hindu populace. Some never submitted like the relentless Maharana Pratap of Rajasthan whose name has becoming etched into Indian history alongside that of Akbar.

All of this seems to have missed the film makers however.

The seismic changes and fast changing events are almost totally dismissed by the movie. The medieval concept of honour and respect would certainly not have allowed an unmarried Rajput woman to meet with a Mughal let alone engage in a long and complicated romance crossing the barriers of race and religion.

The seismic politic changes of the sixteenth century and their reflections on today’s events are neatly sidestepped by the film makers.

Instead of seeing a movie in the mould of recent historical films like ‘Alexander’ or even ‘Braveheart’ where a certain amount of license was given by the film makers but with a overall setting reflecting the historical backgrounds of the relevant characters being portrayed, there is little attempt to bring the exhilaration of the background story to the screen. Instead, despite some grand settings and backdrops the story is in essence reduced to what could just have easily been a romance between two individuals working in a call centre in the streets of Delhi or Mumbai. An opportunity to delve into the rich and colourful Indian past has been overlooked and while it is being promoted as a movie reflecting Indian history and culture, the finished product falls fall short of the mark.

The last Indian film to try and address a legendary Indian historical figure was ‘Asoka’ one of the world’s greatest emperors who whilst ruling a vast kingdom covering one quarter of the world population abandoned the path of violence and hatred to promote peace and equality of all mankind – a great story indeed. Bollywood however reduced virtually the entire script into a love story between the king and a woman from the an opposing camp.

The film Jodhaa Akbar had the opportunity to redress the poor Indian background in making historical films but sadly falls far short of the mark.

Better luck next time.