Power! Ever tried to define it? Strength-Physical strength, Economic strength, Political strength; Weakness; Temptation; Addiction...and you can continue adding adjectives. Basically what I want to say is that there is no particular way to define it; hold on, hold on...if you think so, then correct yourself. Power is a word, the meaning of which most people do not understand. I won't say they are ignorant; rather they are much aware but its just that they are restricting their view. If you ask a lay man about power, mostly he/ she comes up with its negative aspects. But why to blame them even? A clean pair of hands is seldom found among those in power. But the fact is that power is never good or bad, constructive or destructive; it is the mindset of the person with whom power resides. If you ask 10 "powerful" persons, you'll get 10 definitions! But those 10 persons are either of two- either they define power or they are defined by power, either they control their position or are controlled by their position. Why not consider Mughal empire in this case? Here we have people in power, some craving for power, some of them plotting to save it and so on.
Jalal-
In case of Jalal, power is this master's tool which can never dismantle his own house, his kingdom. He defines power as his strength, his unbiased behavior while taking decisions, his justness, his tactics(tedhapan at its best, as you all say). Standing on a higher platform, he knows its about neglecting your priorities to give priority to your subjects. He is well aware of the fact that with great power, comes great responsibility. But there have been times where he has been found confused and tensed. But isn't that obvious???? I agree he's the emperor! Emperor of Hindustan! But he is also a human being. Even he gets tired, confused, hurt, worried. But has that made him leave his kingship? What do you think; he musn't have ever felt the burden of his rank? He must have had, but he never let that feeling overpower his responsibilities. Its because he is truly awesome, he knows that it's actually a burden but he'll never ever back out. Its not his addiction to remain in power, it is his greatness. It is his duty, it is his responsibility and he very well knows that. He keeps on saying that he is a sipahi first and then an emperor. Now who says arrogance always dwells in the powerful ones? Sometimes its modesty and humility that comes up with responsibilities. And here we have the rarest of the rare examples- Shahenshah Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. So I can say that Mughal Empire then, was in the safest hands.
Jodha-
She is a person who never had the desire for power, she never craved for it, but again we have destiny playing its game! Circumstances forced her to come to power. She defines power as truthfulness and purity in decision making. Jodha is a pure soul, bright inside and outside who has got the power to heal anyone's broken heart and the power to restore the people's lost vision too, just through her words(her lectures I mean). For her, power isn't controlling everyone at all; rather it is her strength and she believes in giving that strength to others(take slavery abolition as an example) .She is a true leader who doesn't force anyone to accept her as the strongest among them; rather she is willing to give her strength to others so that they may have the strength to stand on their own(Recently, she encouraged the bandhis to be vocal about their opinions regarding daas pratha and their wish to work in the harem).
But as Jalal says, Jodha is hunar ki khan. She is powerful in many other ways as well. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. And Jodha has this power. Is there any doubt that she has turned around Jalal's life and that too for the better and in the best way? For now, she has the power to make Jalal happy with everything she does. She has that power in her- not a magical power, neither a manipulative power nor a suppressive power either"just a purely human one"! Love is also an expression of power. And this is what you call Jodha's way.
Ruqaiya-
Ruqaiya is a person who lives with her rank of Begum-E-Khaas, a title which is her identity. Ignorance, arrogance, power and pride are a deadly mixture and Ruqaiya has it-the major reason of her downfall. She defines power as her ability to suppress everyone and constantly remind everyone that she is above all. And if you ask me, I would say that she hasn't lived upto the expectations of her position or rank. She had handled harem till Jodha took the charge. She has to appreciated for handling the harem since years but her way of handling it was not satisfying because of her single course of action; just by imposing her decision without keeping in mind the emotions of people. Closed in a room, one's imagination becomes the universe, and the rest of the world simply misses out. That's what defines Ruqaiya who always chooses to confine herself being Begum-E-Khaas and considering herself as one of the most important persons in the life of her most priced possession Jalal(she did mention Jalal being her priced possession- keemti cheez, a few days back) Power is her weakness, she is a subject to it. And those, for whom power is weakness, they become impatient and eventually evil when they have the fear of losing it. Its not power, but the fear of losing it that makes them so. So comes the reason for scheming and plotting-only and only for power.
Mahamanga-
Mahamanga, the cunning lady defines power as her ability to misuse it for her interests and manipulate others for her benefit. Mahamanga being Mahamanga has left no stone unturned in misusing the power of her rank and her importance in Jalal's life for her son's sake and as correctly pointed out by Bairam Khan, that her love for her son is going to be the reason of her downfall. In her case, power lacks morals and principles. She perfectly defines 'evilness at its best'. Evil is not just a theory of paradox, but an actual entity that exists only for itself. It not only influences and seeks the destruction of everything that resides in our life, but rushes to embrace one's oblivion as well. Her influence is decreasing and that day is not far away when it would come to an end. Actually, too cunning and too dumb people can never handle power for long. (Bhagwaan ne maa-bete ki Jodi sochke banai thi shayad)
Adham Khan-
For him, power and kingship is a dream and it has to remain a dream, for others to not get nightmares. One's mind can be his temple and one's mind can also be his graveyard. For Adham it's the second case. Heavy desire of power grows in vacant lots of abandoned minds. And as far as I know, great empires are never maintained by timidity. A no wit person remains a no wit person and an emperor remains an emperor. So he can dream on till he dies.
Abul Mali and Sharifuddin-
For them power is a necessity, a question on their ability, a hunger for which they can go to any extent. But both of them are very much deficient in morals, principles and much needed values, so much that they can't even considered for any rank. Infact, I will say that they didn't even deserve the subedaari they had. If power in hand can do wonders, it can create ruckus and destruction as well.
Now when we have examples, its clear that absolute power doesn't always make one corrupt! If that would have been the case, then absolute powerlessness would have meant purity of a person which is again proved wrong here. Its just the way you choose-either you let power define you or you define power in your way.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
