Call it miscalculation or a blinkered view of how films should be produced in India, director Ashutosh Gowariker has become his own nemesis with Jodhaa Akbar. By spending a lot of money on the unsung love between Muslim emperor Akbar and his Hindu wife Jodhaa, Gowariker has ended up with a weighty flop on his hands, according to IBOS Network, that claims to know box office receipts first hand. However, others like Indiafm and boxofficeindia claim that the film is a hit in Mumbai and a super hit in Mysore. Whatever be the case, one thing is certain. The gross misrepresentation of history was the film’s undoing as it has been banned in crucial states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, parts of Bihar and Panvel in Maharashtra. This by itself is a huge loss for the producers of the film. IBOS Network claims that this film could well take the distinction of being the worse All India opener in the last six years, with opening week collections standing at an abysmal Rs 23 crore. However, big centres like Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore reported a good second weekend. So observers feel that it’s not really a big flop as was previously forecasted. However, the moral of the story still remains. Don’t tamper with history. It can get back in its own way.
PS: The latest is that, the film is a hit in India and a blockbuster overseas. After having watched the film, I feel Gowariker deserves a hit.