Jodhaa Akbar (REGION 0)[DVD] [NTSC]

Lavish. That's the best word to describe this film. The packaging itself is lavish - a card sleeve with metallic looking images holds the 3 disk set, even the message at the beginning of the feature to say that no animals were harmed during filming is done in an extravagant way! The colours jump out at you in this film, almost every scene is saturated in a mixture of deep or bright tones, often contrasting to stimulate your eyes into an optical frenzy!

The film starts like a good old fashioned war epic, but the stylish modern directing style is evident and brings the film right up-to-date. The plot is a bit spoon-fed, with a narrator establishing the scene and describing the state of Hindustan during the 16th Century. But in a film of complex political intrigue and dynastical bonds - a little help is welcome!

As someone with a limited knowledge of religion - this film proved to be a fascinating insight into the basic differences between Hindu and Islamic faiths, and the consequences of how strong the reaction can be when the two clash. And the centre of that clash is the budding romance between the Emperor and his new, but reluctant Empress.

In many ways this is the ultimate feminist film, Jodhaa calls all the shots and everything that happens, happens on her terms. Hritik is perfectly cast as the Emperor Akbar. His physique commands the power such a role needs, whilst his boyish charm reflects the vulnerability and compassion of a man who came to power when just a child. The romance between the two is genuinely intriguing, and is given energy by the opposition it receives from all those around it.

In a nutshell: This is the story of how a boy Emperor becomes a man and though often ruthless, he attempts to unite the nation by preaching acceptance. His decisions court controversy, and gestures and actions are loaded with politics and power play. The Emperor Akbar and his Empress Jodhaa, are both united and isolated by a very unconventional marriage.

Despite the description (unless the page has been updated) this is a 3 DVD set. The first and second DVDs contains the first and second parts of this three and a half hour film, whilst the third contains special features.

I saw this film twice at the cinema. It tells the immortal story of Akbar, the greatest Mughul Emporer, as well as the circumstances surrounding his meeting, marriage and early life with his new Hindu wife, Jodhaa. The two protagonists do stirling work of portraying their characters and have great chemistry - something that is absolutely needed in a film such as this. It left me with such good feelings after seeing it I will be looking to buy the DVD when released. The only downside of the DVD that could seriously make me rethink my purchase is the running time. It is advertised as 120 minutes on Amazon. At the cinema, the film was three and a half hours (210 minutes)long. This may seem a long time to some but it flew by and every part of the film was needed to the proper flow, pacing and development of the story. I sincerely dread to think where they have made the cuts which is nearly an hour lost. Too much for a film of this calibre which really should be released on DVD at the same running time as in the cinema.

If you read fact not fiction, if you prefer gritty realism or disturbing violence, then stop looking at this film now because you will despise it.

Yes, it's long and carefully paced. Yes, there are a couple of moments which seem quite extraordinary or even trite to a Western filmgoer. But if you love beauty and colour, if you are tired of modern cynicism, then buy this film now and fall in love with it. The story of Akbar and Jodhaa's love is intertwined with that of Akbar growing into his strength as Emperor, with intimate court scenes sandwiched between epic battles. Every shot is saturated with colour, the lighting is exquisite and, for a non Hindi speaker, the English subtitles perfectly match the mood and timing of the visuals and dialogue. Hrithik was born to play this role with every thought and emotion that Akbar feels expressed in his eyes, Ash has never been lovelier and the film climaxes with the most stunning fight in cinema history. Just be warned - you will watch this epic film over and over again, and all others will pale into insignificance.

Note for the blu-ray dvd: Although the detail is staggering, the blu-ray version appears to be less letterbox than the ordinary dvd, with the ultimate sides of the film removed (someone tell me what the technical phrase is for this, please!)so if you prefer to see all of your widescreen film, you might want to stick with the ordinary dvd.