Friday WatchAlong: Jodha-Akbar!!!! 3pm Chicago Time Today

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Sorry sorry, forgot to put up this post until the last minute! Not to worry, it is here now.

Jodha-Akbar! Swoony, romantic, surprisingly historical accurate! And on Netflix!

Jodhaa Akbar - Wikipedia

Hit “play” when I tell you to in the comments, and then just keep commenting along.

444 thoughts on “Friday WatchAlong: Jodha-Akbar!!!! 3pm Chicago Time Today”

    • We were not supposed to believe in the superiority of Islam during the exquisitely shot Khwaja Mere Khwaja sequence.Then why this weird doubt about Hinduism and superiority?It was about Jodhaa desperately wishing for her husband’s safety,and a wife’s love reigns supreme.If the message was unclear,it wasn’t Gowarikar’s fault but the unfamiliarity to the tropes of Hindi film where “praying” can restore eyesight.

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  5. Historically accurate! Akbar was illiterate, although his court was the most literate place on earth at the time. Guess of historians is ADHD with dyslexia, very good for battles and quick decisions and stuff, not for reading.

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    • When his country is at war literally his whole childhood and he is in hiding with some random loyal soldier’s family off on the frontier. And then becomes king and has to lead a million battles.

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      • I think it is why his court was so literate, Akbar had enormous respect for the power of the written word because it was beyond him. Gave tons of support to poets and historians and all kinds of people like that who could write.

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        • Yes. Apparently there were many attempts to teach him to read and write but they all failed. As Margaret said, he was speculated to be dyslexic. However, he was also speculated to have excellent (eidectic) memory, which is why even though he could not read or write, he listened keenly to everything that was read to him and remembered all the details.

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  13. I know we are a couple scenes past, but real quick, did you catch taht she refused to read out the scroll? And it’s because a proper Hindu wife cannot say her husband’s name?

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  15. Oh man, this part is so beautiful to me. Someone who can never just be himself, can never express his emotions, is out of touch with poetry and beauty although he appreciates it, giving this enormous gift of openness to her, being human for once instead of Emporer.

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      • Oh, she’s the one I’m gonna have played by Tabu opposite Shahrukh in my period big budget drama!!!!! Two older experienced folks falling in love and also respecting their mutual intelligence.

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        • Why in the world is Karan not making a movie about Salim and Mehrunissa (instead of stupid Thakt which is going to have a stupid sad ending)?!?!? Oooh maybe Asutosh should do it as a sequel to JA! It would make me so so so happy! Someone make this movie, please!!!

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        • Also, what an epic love story it would be. They met when they were young, she got married to someone else, and had a child with someone else. She also had multiple miscarriages and is likely never going to get pregnant again. Years later, he continues to love her and finds a way to marry her eventually. Once married, she is his chief counselor. Any law is only enacted if she approves it. She changes the law on female infanticide. He loves and respects her throughout his life and never marries again.

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          • I like the version where they fell in love later, meaning after her husband died, he brought her to his palace just because it was the right thing to do for a widow, and only later learned to love her.

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          • I can see that but to me, I love that he loved her forever and nothing could change that. The fact that she married someone else, had a child with him, and could never produce an heir didn’t mean anything. He also respected the heck out of her intelligence and trusted her judgement more than his. She was just such a bad a$$ and never tried to change anything about her. In fact, he loved her because of it.

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          • But, that would mean he didn’t really love Madhubala! Thereby making MEA no longer relevant to my mental Mughal trilogy. And I loooooove what they did with adult Jodha-Akbar in that, so I can’t let go of it.

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  17. The slight hurt that flicks across his face when she gets up (to get on the bed) like–I thought–but– and then realizing that IT IS ON-THE-BED-TIME and instead of being leering or anything he almost just *melts* because now she trusts him!

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  20. I am trying, but I just don’t care about anything that happens in the movie now that they have had sex. Genevieve is right, it’s all about the foreplay.

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  23. I think him riding in with all the arrows in his back is pretty cool. Not as great as sexual tension, but an amazing plot twist and beautiful heartbreaking scene.

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  24. Maybe there is a reading where Sujamal and Akbar are parelal? Both lost their king fathers at a young age, but while Akbar was lucky enough to win his battles and become ruler, Sujamal had no one with him and so fell lower and lower while Akbar rose higher and higher?

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    • The people who were supposed to sponsor Sujamal through life didn’t do that–no general, no guard, not even his own uncle. Meanwhile, Akbar was sponsored by Bairam Khan, plus the prime minister, plus his foster mom–at every turn someone helped him, defended him, championed him.

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      • And on the other hand, Akbar learned never to wait for help. Sujamal ran around looking for allies, waiting on their advice. Akbar was raised strong enough to stand up and turn down all those who had previously protected him.

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  25. Poor Sonu 😦 😦 😦
    Don’t worry, you’ll be able to come back as Full Rambo in Happy New Year ❤ (Full Rambo is my sister's name for him in that movie, she refuses to believe he's in this one)

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  29. Also I just noticed Akbar’s sister is wearing mostly white, like she knows she’s going to be mourning SOMEONE in the next 20 minutes 😦

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    • I agree, it’s really solid and a ton of the hits look incredibly real. It’s also nice that it’s choreographed so you can see everything that is happening the whole time. It isn’t frenetic and hard to follow/dizzying like everything that Hollywood has made post-the Bourne Identity

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    • It is earlier here, I think I’m gonna take a quick bike ride before I start the cheater meatball meal. My kids are watching season 31 of the Simpsons, they can live without me for half an hour.

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  37. History: Akbar became more and more open minded his whole life, but he was starting from a pretty open place already, religiously. The Mughals were Sunni, but had loads of trusted Shia advisors. And they were open to the Sufi Muslim flavor too. Akbar went on to embrace Hinduism and basically everything, even had some Orthodox Priests, and a Rabbi in his court. Eventually he created his own religion, with the idea that to rule fairly, he should be part of a new religion, not allied to any particular faith of one group. And even on his death bed, he refused to give up his new religion in favor of regular Sunni Muslim.

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  39. That was fun. I’m so glad I got to see that sword fight with all of you. Maybe I will get my husband to re-enact that love scene with, and maybe it won’t lead to divorce, who knows? Thank you Margaret!

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