IT IS A SHOW...
Well, I have come across numerous posts falsifying Jodha-Akbar. Some saying Ruqaiya was the favourite queen and so on and so forth. I have also read as many posts in favour of the king and queen.
There are proofs in favour of them. There might be proofs against them also. I am not getting into all that. Well, I personally always believed that the Hindu princess Jodhabai was Akbar's wife.
Initially when I studied Mughals in school, I thought, or more appropriately, wrongly assumed that Jodha and Akbar were in love and she eloped with him. Later, when the movie released I realized I was wrong.
Akbar lived a very long time back. Then, women were not regarded equal to men. Women were considered inferior to men. No one can be completely sure of what happened then. In the show, many things are true, some might not be.
In the show, Ruqaiya is shown as an antagonist. It is possible that in the Mughal harem, actually Jodha and Ruqaiya did not get along. But, not necessarily to the extent that is shown.
The reason I am writing this is not to demean the show, the script or put down the ardent fans trying to prove the story. They all have their respective points of view.
And, I truly appreciate their efforts. I am a diehard fan of Jodha Akbar and will not accept any theories against them. I am not at all ashamed to say I am prejudiced towards them.
But the main fact still remains; I am biased towards Jodha and Akbar because of the show, its story, the portrayal of their characters, Paridhi and Rajat for their fabulous acting.And much less because of the real Akbar and Jodha, though he was a brilliant ruler and my favourite monarch.
It is possible, mind you; I am not asserting this as a fact, that some portions of the show may not be real. But that is understandable. They lived in the 16th century. What we know of Akbar today is from accounts of the contemporary poets and writers, and different people write differently.
The basic facts remain the same. Their way of looking at it would have been varied. Not everything about his personal life, his love would be easily found. Interpretations are bound to be dissimilar.
Whatever may be the case, I, honestly, care less about all this. I watch the show because I like it. Period. From many angles, it is very much like other Hindi shows, the main difference being their historical backdrop.
I love the show because it offers something very new. But, just because they show Akbar, we cannot ask the producers or the channel, for that matter, to stop bothering about its popularity or its TRP ratings.
There are different twists and turns to keep the audience engaged while care is taken not to distort the basic facts. These are acceptable by me. I really, am not interested whether Ruqaiya was the chief wife or someone else was or nobody was.
Many here would call me ignorant, which is fine. This is because for me Jalal and Jodha are my idols. I like their chemistry, their bickering, their care, affection, even hatred, animosity etc.I watch this show like I have watched any other show in the past, right from Jyoti, Bandini, Kasamh Se, Bade Achche Lagte Hain to the latest Qubool Hai...
I love the show for what they show it as. Watch it like a show, criticize the wrong twists, appreciate the good ones, drool over Jalal's looks, and fancy the romantic sequences. There so many things to do apart from proving what is right and wrong. It is too late in the week to try proving Jodha was better than Ruqaiya.
Does it make any difference now?? Yes, it will make a difference to me if Jalal suddenly starts loving Ruqaiya who has turned positive and Jodha has turned negative in the show. This will affect me.
Now, no one can change what has happened. It happened centuries ago. Whether it was right or wrong, it doesn't matter anymore. Few are inspired by Akbar's quotes like promoting monogamy etc. monogamy is what is practiced now. Now, nobody can have 1000 wives and maids. Just let it be.
It is a Hindi show after all trying to fight its way through in the rat race for TRPs and top positions. Akbar was a great king, he ruled well, practiced religious tolerance, and was secular. That is it. His love life is not everyone's plaything.
Disclaimer: I am not against anyone on this or any other forum. This is my point of view. I apologise if I have hurt anyone's sentiments. Reiterating, that I love Rajat, Paridhi, Jodha, Jalal and the show as a whole.
THANKYOU
Arjun
Anupamaa
