Bollywood movie Jodhaa Akbar is releasing in a record 115 theatres in the US Friday, but
some Indian American groups have called for its boycott. They have also asked the Indian government
to ban the film.
The period romance directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, of Oscar nominated Lagaan fame, has
come under fire from some groups in India. A group in Rajasthan, the Rajput Karni Sena, has claimed
that Jodhaabai was not Akbar's wife but that of his son Jehangir.
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The protesting groups in the US, along with NRI groups in other countries, have picked up from there
and said in a press release that the film's "concocted story is an odious, false, unjust and irreverent
portrayal of a Hindu Rajput princess and a Muslim Mughal ruler".
They have also alleged the historical distortions in Jodhaa Akbar, starring Hrithik Roshan as
Akbar and Aishwarya Rai as Jodhaa, to be "extremely insensitive and it hurts the sentiments of
millions of people who love the culture, history and traditions of India".
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The protesting groups in the US include Global Institute for Truth & Awareness, Independent NRI
Forum, Indian American Intellectuals Forum, Rajput Association of North America and Save Temples,
USA.
Gowariker, who is said to have read Akbarnama and consulted historian Irfan Habib before making
Jodhaa Akbar, has defended his creation.
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Significantly, K. Asif's epic Mughal-e-Azam, which is etched in Indians' memory, presented
Akbar and Jodhaabai as husband and wife, though it was centred on Jehangir and Anarkali's ill-fated
love story.
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The New York Times ran a report Sunday by Indian journalist Anupama Chopra on the $10-million
Jodhaa Akbar, and said the magnum opus would help Aishwarya and Hrithik's reported moves
towards Hollywood.
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matlab Jodhaa Akbar
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