Jodhaa Akbar gets the Queen's Approval

Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar, which had earlier run into trouble when some people from the Rajasthani community had strongly objected to it, has finally got a stamp of approval from Jaipur's royal family. Her Royal Highness of Jaipur, Padmini Deviji is pleased with Gowarikar as the filmmaker kept his promise and incorporated all the suggestions and facts that she had helped him with before he started filming Jodhaa Akbar.

Even after completing Jodhaa Akbar's shooting, Gowarikar made it a point to show the film's rough cut to HRH Padmini Deviji, Maharaja Bhavani Singhji and Gajrajji, Maharaja of Kishenghad at his office. Ashutosh had met HRH in November 2005 in Jaipur and given her the script to get some valuable suggestions for the film. After she read the script, Padmini Deviji had a meeting with Gowarikar and suggested some valuable changes.

Ashutosh Gowarikar says, "Jodhaa was from Amer which has now become Jaipur and she belonged to the Kachhawas dynasty. It was very important for me to give the script to HRH Padminiji so that she could check the facts and give some creative inputs to make Jodhaa Akbar as realistic as possible. I also met up with Maharaja Bhavani Singhji and Maharaja Gajrajji of Kishenghad. I had detailed discussions with them to get valuable inputs about the Rajput traditions, festivals and minute details of their lifestyle in that period."

They were especially happy to see that the film had portrayed the Rajputs in a positive light and also shown an idol of their kuldevi, Jamvar mata.

Commenting on the film's locations, Gowarikar says, "After my meeting with the royal family, I shot at many places in Rajasthan including the Jaipur fort, Kishenghad fort, Jaighad fort and Madhavghad fort. It was a gruelling shooting schedule as I had to shoot on flat deserts and in 12 villages where I shot the battle sequences."

Speaking about the detailed inputs given by HRH Padmini Deviji, Gowarikar says, "She is very happy with the way Aishwarya and Hrithik have played Jodhaa and Akbar respectively. Padmini Deviji especially gave me tips on how women dressed in that period and also the mannerisms of people from the royal community. One very important suggestion she gave me was that these days royalty is addressed as 'hokum' but it was different earlier."

HRH Padmini Deviji says, "Ashutosh Gowarikar has been very particular in portraying the authentic Rajput history and tradition. I feel that I am reliving a passage in history which is directly linked with my family and sister, the princess of Amer, Jodhaa. Aishwarya is wonderful as Jodhaa as her style of acting was very refrained and dignified. She is exactly like what a Rajput princess would have been in those times. The fact is that my family's alliance with the Mughals resulted in secularism, which is the greatest gift to society."

nice article.can't wait for the movie😊