Jodha Akbar


Jodha Akbar is an Indian historical fiction drama television series that premiered on 18 June 2013 on Zee TV.The show was produced by Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Telefilms. It starred Rajat Tokas and Paridhi Sharma in lead roles. The show focuses on how a political marriage between a royal couple from two different religions brings love between them to the extent that it changes the fate of India and its people. It was one of the most expensive TV serials ever made with its dazzling array of period costumes, sets, and jewelry.

Plot

Jodha Akbar is an epic drama about a sixteenth-century story of a political marriage of convenience between a Mughal emperor Akbar and a Khatri princess Jodha Bai. The show focuses on how their political marriage brings love between them to an extent that it changes the fate of India. This period drama also portrays the wars of that time along with the relations between the Mughals and the Khatris. The drama focuses on the functioning of the queens, the courts, courtesans, the ministers and their influence on the love story of Akbar and Jodha. The show highlights how Mughal emperor Jalaluddin acquired the title of Akbar from the people and covers most of his reign from 1557–58 up to 1598, also showing the life of Akbar's children, a secondary love story of Prince Salim and Anarkali.

Cast

Historical inaccuracy

Many of the events portrayed in the series are fictitious. Certain Khatri groups claimed Jodhaa was married to Akbar's son, Jahangir, not Akbar, whereas certain reports state that Jodha and Akbar were not married. They also protested against the show along with Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap, another historical series that aired on Sony TV. The title of the series was criticised by members of the Khatri community as misleading, politically motivated historical revisionism that minimised Rajput history. The community protested against the series in Rajasthan, and alleged that if the name was not changed they would not let any Balaji Telefilms films to be released in the state. Ekta Kapoor stated, "I always believe it's 20% history and 80% folklore."

Production

The producer of the show, Ekta Kapoor was influenced by the 2009 big screen movie, Jodhaa Akbar, directed by Bollywood's Ashutosh Gowariker.
Rajat Tokas who had earlier worked with Ekta Kapoor in the soap opera, Tere Liye was selected to play the role of the protagonist Akbar
Ekta Kapoor stated she conducted 7000 auditions for the female protagonist Jodha across the nation before selecting Paridhi Sharma.
Ashwini Kalsekar was selected to play the role of Maham Anga, Akbar's primary caretaker and protector.

Awards