Originally posted by: sashashyam
I detest this "Jodha will come along like an angel of light and convert this bloodthirsty, heartless warrior, Jalal, from a haviaan into an insaan" approach to the story.. It is not adapting history for a TV serial of a film, which is permissible. It amounts to standing history on its head, which should not be permissible, for it leaves the viewer with an unacceptably distorted perception, thanks to the reach and brainwashing ability of TV, of one of the greatest personalities in Indian history.
Now for Jodha. She, in sharp contrast to the
haivaan Jalal, was introduced running a 400 metre dash to save a pigeon. The commentator went on to eulogise her as a
prem aur daya ki murti. This same girl then goes to a Kali mandir, and worships the goddess (who is a very fierce fighter and destroyer, by the way!) , and then emerges after the attack on the temple (which I am sure Jalal never knew about) and takes violent oaths about getting Jalal's head. This is not described as being bloodthirsty, of course, for a guardian angel cannot, by definition, be anything but sweetness and light!😉
The fact is that Jodha is a princess from a warrior race, and she too has violence in her genes, whence her violent pronouncements. They might be tiresomely repetitive, but they are understandable given her birth and her background. But then why try to insist that she is a sort of 16th century Florence Nightingale?
If she had tried to precede Jhansi ki Rani by about 3 centuries, and ridden into battle against the Mughals, I would have understood it. But why talk of peace all the time? The Rajputs were generally busy fighting among themselves and it was their chronic disunity that allowed outsiders to make inroads into their land. Plus, though she excoriates Jalal for violating the frontiers of Amer, the Rajput kingdoms did this among themselves as a routine.
Then again, Jalal was born in a Rajput kingdom,Umarkot, and spent some years there and later in a Rajput kingdom in present day Madhya Pradesh. This gave him the familiarity with the Rajput psyche that enabled him, even early in his reign, to win them over and make them the pillars of his empire.
Here, however, he is shown thinking and talking of the Rajputs as if they were an alien race to which he is unremittingly hostile. This again is deliberate, meant to deepen the dark shades in Jalal's character, and to make out that Jodha's eventual contribution in taming and reforming such a supposedly harsh personality was that much greater.
This approach seems to me to be artificial and excessive, besides being historically incorrect. Akbar was naturally wise and had, very early on, a maturity far beyond his years, and there is no evidence that he needed any guardian angel. But as there is no copyright on Akbar, it is open house and anyone can depict him any way he/she wants!
I do understand that this is a reformist love story, so Jodha has to be shown too better Jalal, but there is a limit to everything, especially if one is dealing with a very great historical figure. It would in fact be far more appealing and convincing if they did not insist in its being black vs white.
I hope they tone this slant down as the show progresses, and show the constant emotional deprivation that Jalal suffered from all his life, as also the gentler side of him, as when he tends to the battered Abdul, so patiently and with so much care, or during his interactions Mahaam Anga. They have made a beginning this week, and it should be built on. That will enrich the characterisation, and make the show a much better watch for all of us.
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