Period films come calling

Indian history has always been a rich source of inspiration for our filmmakers. Mughal-E-Azam (left, 1960) made with a $3.38 million budget and premiering simultaneously in 150 theatres across the country, immortalised the momentous affair between Emperor Jehangir a.k.a. Salim and Anarkali. It became a huge success and is now recognised as one of Indian cinema's greatest classics.

The film set a new standard for period films in Bollywood. The trend continues 45 years later, with filmmakers still culling historical facts for their productions this year. J P Dutta's Umrao Jaan, Ashutosh Gowariker's Akbar-Jodha, Mani Ratnam's Mahabharata (to be produced by Mangal Pandey producer Bobby Bedi), Rituparno Ghosh's Draupadi and Ketan Mehta's Jhansi Ki Rani are cases in point.

J P Dutta's Umrao Jaan

With Aishwarya Rao and Abhishek Bachchan in the lead, the film is set to recreate the magic once spun in the 1981 classic by Muzaffar Ali. It has an impressive cast: Shabana Azmi (she plays Umrao's mother, a role first played by her mother Shaukat Kaifi), Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Divya Dutta, Himani Shivpuri, Puru Raaj Kumar and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.

The shooting took place mostly in Jaipur. If Asha Bhonsle was the voice of the first Umrao, Alka Yagnik will sing for Aishwarya Rai songs penned by Javed Akhtar and set to music by Anu Malik. Incidentally, Malik's daughter Anmol too has lent her voice to a young Ash in the film, marking her first step into the music scene.

Ashutosh Gowariker's Akbar-Jodha

Taking its cue from Mughal-E-Azam, Gowariker is set to launch another mega cinematic event. It will focus on Mughal Emperor Akbar's relationship with his Hindu wife Jodha. The director, it is heard, has hired a research team comprising historians and scholars from Delhi, Lucknow, Agra and Jaipur to guide him on a subject as intricate and complicated as the Mughal era.

The film will star Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead. Will it wipe away the painful memories of a well-made yet unsuccessful Swades? Considering it is in the production stage, we'll have to wait for that answer.

Mani Ratnam's Mahabharata

This South Indian filmmaker sure has a wide canvas. He dares to tread on plots as varied as the terrorism of Kashmir (Roja), hues of passion (Dil Se), decadence of youth (Yuva) and grandeur of an epic (yet-to-be-finalised Mahabharata). Although there are contradictory reports about the Tamil veteran making this film, there is no denying the fact that it takes some courage to choose the great Indian epic as a plot.

It is in negotiations to cast the who's who of the Indian film industry -- tentatively, Aamir Khan, Kajol, Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji. The score, quite predictably, will be by A R Rehman.

Rituparno Ghosh's Draupadi

Relationship issues being his forte, Ghosh could not have settled for a better theme than the Mahabharata's Draupadi. The intriguing bond the Pandava queen shared with her five husbands is a welcome plot for any director to base his film on.

The grapevine has it that Ghosh's film will revolve round characters like Kunti, Draupadi and Gandhari, who represent 'women power'. He is to lend them a contemporary flavour. According to the director, "It is absolutely essential to explore Draupadi, an extension of Kunti, a pivot which perhaps integrates the entire epic."

Set to be a Hindi-English bilingual, the film will have a pan-Asian cast and will roll this year.

Ketan Mehta's Jhansi Ki Rani

It seems the First War of Indian Independence of 1857 -- or the Sepoy Mutiny, as the British would call it -- has cast a spell on filmmaker Mehta. Why else would he intend to do a second part of his trilogy (the first part being Mangal Pandey) on the famous Jhansi Ki Rani?

Although the director has confirmed that Aishwarya Rai will play the lead, the industry is agog with rumours that former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen is vying with the former Miss World for the role.

As the film has been announced only recently, one wonders whether this one will see the light of day in 2006.

After Mangal Pandey's miserable fate at the box office, one also hopes Mehta will manage to strike a chord with the audience.