All Hail the Mighty King Roshan!!

A regal emperor, Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar and his fiery Rajput Queen, the lovely Jodhaa.....this is their little-known love story.

What starts off as a political alliance between two vastly different cultures and religions steadily grows into a sublimely beautiful romance. Interspersed with glimpses into how the benevolent king ruled his kingdom justly while effectively dealing with the pitfalls on his road to ascension….the film is a concise and well-encapsulated take on one of the finest figures in Indian history.

Lavish sets.....savage battle scenes (vaguely reminiscent of Troy).....the unhindered explosion of Rajput colours and the mesmerizing music score by the ever-reliable A.R.Rahman make the movie, a veritable feast for the senses!!

A casting coup of sorts.....Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan do full justice to their roles. They exude grace and confidence..so much so, that it wouldn’t be hard to imagine them ruling over a full-court back in the sixteenth century!! The best scenes by far.....are the ones where the couple light up the screen with their elegance, shared glances and the subtle romance that exists but never over-powers.

Wars have to be fought, traitors be knocked off, evil foster-mothers dealt with and justice meted out. And his Royal Highness does it all…..with style, flair and supreme class. Amidst all the chaos, you appreciate the tenderness and respect that he showers on his new wife. Aishwarya, as a nervous yet feisty princess, plays her role with finesse. Gone are the mindless giggles and painful over-acting!!

Among the supporting cast, Ila Arun as the silently menacing Maham Anga deserves special mention. Also deserving pride of place is Sonu Sood as Prince Sujamal. While more attention could have been paid to his character, when he does appear on the screen.....he plays his grey role with all the uncertainty that it demands.

And finally as the narrator Amitabh Bachchan proclaims.....the love-story of Jodha-Akbar may not have gone down in the history books as one of the all-time great romances. However, silently and gracefully……their love left it’s indelible mark.

.....and they lived Happily Ever-After!!

The lovely Giselle is an animated, honest-to-goodness, true-blue Disney Princess. She looks like a dream and resides in the mystical land of Andalasia. She sings... day-dreams...lives in a multi-storeyed tree-house...prances about with a meanagerie of cutesy-pie wild-life and generally awaits the arrival of her handsome Prince in shiny tights!!

And arrive he does. The handsome Prince Edward hears her dulcet tones and promptly arrives to find “his heart’s true-desire”. Along the way he slays a pesky ogre and manages to hum a soulful ballad (talk ‘bout multi-tasking!!!).....and the Happy Dent couple decide to live happily Ever-After!

But what’s a fairy-tale without the truly wicked Step-Mother. Enter Queen Narissa. Fearing a threat to her ascension to the throne, she sneers, snarls and decides to throw a spanner into the works. With a fair-bit of deviousness, she promptly tosses the unsuspecting Giselle her into a waterfall. Our damsel in distress plunges through a never-ending chasm which infact is a portal into the real world.

Say hello to the now real, flesh-and-blood Giselle! And also say hello to a culture-shock of gigantic proportions!! With her rosy attitude towards life...her cheerful and freakishly-optimistic nature...her debutant princess demeanour and her tendency to break into a song (a throw-back to the happy times in the sun-dappled glen!!!) at the drop of a hat…she is a charming misfit in a cynical and grimy New York.

As she tries to find her way back to her "Prince in Poofy Clothing", she befriends a world-weary divorce lawyer, Robert Philip and his adorable l’il daughter……and I guess we all know where that story is heading,

But ofcourse before Giselle has her fairy-tale ending and rides off into the sunset, she has to deal with her charming but empty-headed Prince Edward; a conniving lackey,Nathaniel; the smart-mouthed chipmunk Pip and the prospective MONSTER-in-law!!

A charming, modern-day fairy tale with all the right ingredients, fantastic characters and jus’ the right splash of humour makes for good family viewing. Amy Adams and James Marsden who play Giselle and Prince Edward respectively are nauseatingly happy and over-the-top. But that’s what the roles demand and you can’t help but empathize with them. Patrick Dempsey as the “been-down-that-road-before” lawyer is a deliciously handsome male lead. He is the perfect blend of bewildered father and reluctant good-samaritan. The fact that he lights up the screen with his rakish charm, doesn’t hurt ofcourse!! Susan Sarandon as the evil step-mother Narissa is glorious. She dazzles, thunders and blazes across Manhattan and would make any self-respecting, virginal princess head for the nearest tree-hollow to cower in fright!

For all lovers of classic Disney fare, this movie brings back fond memories as old yarns are re-discovered and effortlessly weaved into a feel-good, magical tale.