I was watching JA after listening to a lot of mixed response..so more than anything I had the curiosity to find out what exactly went wrong with the film or rather what are the things which the public is finding negative in the film..i saw it at the movie time cinema in malad which has a seating capacity of 389 seats and only approx 100 were occupied..

My first reaction to the opening war scene was woow..amazing..and then started the actual journey which the director wanted me to take thru..but believe me the actual problem with the film is its length..the first half is almost of 2hrs and the second half too is approx the same length if not longer..

If u ask me I seriously don’t have any recollection of the movie apart from Hritik as Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar and Aishwarya as Jodha Bai..the film no doubt is executed on a lavish scale and gr8 pains might have gone in to make it but too many things to tell and still only 4 hrs time limit was too less..after all it’s a matter of an historical event..

What was I there to witness the heroics of Akbar..the romantic endeavors of his..the pious feeling he had for India..What was I watching?? Are the questions I am still figuring out..

Exellent Cinematography..Lavish Costumes and accessories..Gr8 Set Design..Mind Blowing Special Effects..everything is a compliment to the film but still there was something lacking in the film..and above all a good but still a very very lengthy screenplay..wont comment on the story as it belongs to history..but the screenplay always belonged to the writer and director..right?

That Ashutosh Gowarikar touch somehow was missing from JA..another hinderence for the audience was the lingo of the film which the audience could not relate to..like ”Paani aur Tammannaon ki Taasir ek hoti hai…aage badhte rehna” I mean who can guess this heavy dialogues..rather digest..and on top of that the director decides the length which is zombical..

After adding almost everything in the film..the director forgot that where were Tansen and Birbal..his most trusted men..oh ya they might have gone to Rajasthan to sort out the risen controversies..professional management of an emperor you see..hehehe

I am not kidding but imagine a film with a first half which doesn’t want to end and the second half equally long..i fell asleep during the neverending lovemaking scene in the second half and once before in the first half…don’t remember the scene

The Technical Team:

Music is such a disappointment..apart from Kehne Ko jashne bahara…and Azeemo shaan Shehenshah (what grandeur and cinematography)..nothing else remains with u…Khwaaja mere Khwaaja sounds too much like Haaji ali piya Haji Ali from Fiza..the background too has almost nothing in it..apart from some fanfare themes and that akbar angry theme is awesome..

Nitin Desai does an amazing job with sets but aaah in the mid close ups and close ups on the actual locations he or his setting guys forgot to paint the fort walls at the back and they look so shabby for a King still residing there..isn’t it?

Camera work is superb and needs a special mention..Kiran Deohans does a superb job..the war scenes..the horse riding sequences are well shot..

Editor cannot be blamed for the length as the call for the length is director’s but at some places the editor surely faultered like for instance the scene where Jodha prepares food for Akbar and tells him to stop as there is less salt in the food…notice the hand movement of Hritik which repeats twice once in the long shot and then in the mid close..

Director Ashutosh Gowarikar though does not deliver what was expected of him but manages to clear the thin line with the help of his technical team..the war scenes could have been worked upon more as in action wise..plus he should have taken care of the length of the film which is unnecessarily over by approx 30-40 minutes..

The Performances:

Hritik Roshan is simply amazing..no words can describe his command over the language and with the easy flow he performs..his one of the best performances till date..and a difficult role to play...that of a history character..too good..

Aishwarya is looking astonishingly beautiful and performs with conviction..a true mallika-e-hindustan..

Sonu Sood performs well and lives upto the expectations of the role..

The guy Sharifuddin is amazing in the negative role..promising guy..

Rest of the cast lends an able support..

JA is surely a one time watch..but not what u expected out of an AG film..so now I understand what the audience was finding negative about the film..