StarBoxOffice.com Review

Acting: From a young novice king with all his vulnerabilities to a lover who constantly strives to strengthen his relation with his wife and a no nonsense ruler who wins the hearts of his masses and enemies alike, Hrithik is nothing short of marvelous. Ladies are definitely going to swoon at his bare-chested sword practicing sequence. Aishwarya Rai not only looks her best ever on screen but delivers an astonishing performance and conveys a lot through her eyes. Sonu Sood playing Sujamal, her unfortunate brother makes a good impact whereas newcomer Nikitan Dheer as Akbar's scheming brother in law impresses with his electrifying screen presence. Poonam Sinha exudes grace while Ila Arun playing Hrithik's wily foster mother cum advisor is just perfect

Direction: Ashutosh's labour of love is visible in every single frame of the movie. Having made one of the most opulent films in Indian cinema, Gowariker deserves a bow for his vision and successful handling of the epic love story. He superbly merges two different tracks – the unusual romance between the royal couple and political intrigues. The wonderful songs are aptly placed moving the story ahead and their picturisation befitting. His casting is just perfect too. But at times you do keep feeling that the editing could have been tighter. But nevertheless, his is a splendid effort with great aid from Nitin Desai's awe inspiring production design, Kiran Deohans' outstanding cinematography and Ravi Dewan's edge of the seat action sequences.

Script: Gowariker and Haider Ali's script manages to cover a gamut of issues but at the same time tends to lengthen the running time (3 hr. 33 mins). But, they have succeeded in packing it up with some remarkable sequences, notably – Hrithik's taming of an errant elephant, Aish and Ila Arun's confrontation in the royal kitchen and the scene following it where Hrithik eats from the same platter which Aish was forced to eat it first, Hrithik confronting Aish after a misunderstanding over her character, Aish and Hrithik's sword fight, Hrithik expressing his love to Aish during sunset and the final one on one combat between Hrithik and Nikitan that reminds you of Brad Pitt – Eric Bana fight from Troy. The script is replete with many more such gems that make JA a great watch.

Music: Apart from his music (that gradually grows on you), Rahman also makes an amazing impact with his background score. The Khwaja Mere Khwaja number takes you in a trance, the Azeem-o-shaan Shahenshah song leaves you spell bound by its picturisation while Jashne Bahara has a mesmerizing effect.

- by Abhijeet Mhamunkar