period and the Rajputana region. If historical inaccuracy is the only reason that the protestors cite then they better watch the movie once again and this time let them pay attention to the opening narrative that is more of an extended disclaimer through which the director has clearly stated the uncertainty surrounding the name of Jodha and even give other supposed names of the Rajput princess. Not once has the director claimed that the movie is a faithful interpretation of history, after all there are not many records that track all the details of the life of Akbar. A neutral perspective can yield but one perception; Jodha Akbar is receiving rough and shabby treatment in many parts of the country and this is not going to do any good to the confidence and faith of brave film makers with great ideas in mind. UTV, the producers of Jodha Akbar have not taken this matter lightly. They have gone all the way to Supreme Court for justice but what good is justice that will hopefully be delivered a month after the movie has been released. For cinema, the first twenty days or so is the make or break period and nothing can bring back that opening rush. Jodha Akbar has lost the initial rush in the whole of Rajasthan, certainly a few crores and no one knows whether it will ever release there. Now, Madhya Pradesh has followed suit.
Thankfully, Jodha Akbar has enough merits to turn out profits in spite of these setbacks. But the question is not about Jodha Akbar, it is about the other Jodha Akbars waiting to happen, the Ashuthosh Gowarikers waiting to make them and production houses like UTV ready to finance them. If this is the price one has to pay for turning out a product par excellence then (God forbid!) good cinema will be an endangered species without much delay.
The fact that irks here most is that the ban is not something that the people demanded. The people of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are as enthusiastic about this movie as the rest of India is. Jodha Akbar was passed by the censor board without a single use of the scissors and yet a self appointed censor board has cut the film off many theaters. These self-proclaimed guardians of ‘God only knows what’, have even gone to the extent of planting a mild explosive in one other theaters screening the movie as a threat to all others. One reason that the Madhya Pradesh government cited for removing Jodha Akbar from theaters is the fear of any unruly behavior and violence by the miscreants. True, we already have enough trouble in this country without the government having to worry about security at cinema halls but bowing to the threats of a handful of trouble mongers sends the wrong signals to the entire country. India is a democracy where freedom of speech and expression are respected, but that freedom comes with responsibility and the condition that it neither harms nor hurts anyone. People who don’t know to fulfill this responsibility are not worthy of the freedom to express or talk. Jodha Akbar has in no way (to the common man’s eye) hurt anyone’s sentiments, religious or regional. It is in fact a beautiful depiction of how India began its growth as one secular land, free for all faiths. The ones who have taken it otherwise are the types that make it a point to feel hurt and shower self-pity at the slightest instant.
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