Ashutosh defends Jodhaa Akbar

doweshowbellyad=0; Ashutosh Gowarikar (TOI Photo)Ashutosh Gowarikar is riding the proverbial horns of a dilemma.
People will just not let his new film Jodhaa Akbar be screened in peace. The Rajputs of Madhya Pradesh, who find the depiction of Jodhaabai as Mughal Emperor Akbar���s wife an insult to their community, want the film to be taken off cinema screens.In Gujarat, there are incidents of protest and arson at theatres. And in Punjab, political organisations have moved the Chandigarh court for a ban against the film which they claim is a clear attack on the glorious history of the Rajputs.
Gowarikar said firmly, "I want everyone to see the film and then form an opinion." To him, the claim that Jodhaa was the wife of Jehangir (Akbar���s son, who was also called Salim) is preposterous. "In making an entertaining film that focussed on love and how it transcends every barrier with respect and dignity, I referred to the same books as everyone. I���ve done adequate research and taken permission of the Jodhpur royal family who are Jodhaa���s descendants," said the beleaguered filmmaker.
His research told him that King Bharmal���s daughter (Jodhaa) was addressed by different historians as Harkhabai, Jiyarani, Shahibai and Maanmati. The books he swears by include Medieval India, by K L Khrana, Akbar by Muni Lal, Princely Terrains by Shikha Jai, Gulbadan by Rumen Goden, and A Princess Diary by Subdhdra Sen Gupta, amongst others. "History gets rewritten every 50 years. And new historians come in with their own ideas and interpretations which have the same essence but a different flavour," added Gowarikar.
So, wasn���t Jodhaa, Akbar���s daughter-in-law? "Am I mad to distort facts and make a love story between a father-in-law and daughter-in-law," asked Gowarikar. He thinks people are confusing Mota Raja���s daughter Jagat Gosain, who was married to Prince Salim, and was also called Jodhbai. "You will find this in Medieval India by Satish Chandra. A History of Jaipur by Jadunath Sarkar also says that Mota Raja gave his daughter Mira bai alias Manibai alias Jodhbai to Prince Salim," he explained.
But yes, he admitted that the film is 30 per cent fact and 70 per cent imagination. "The love and romance is my imagination, but the other 30 per cent is from history books," said Gowarikar.