From Lagaan to Jodha-Akbar, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowarikar has a penchant for taking his audience back in time. But as is evident from the just-released trailer of his next, Mohenjo Daro, the filmmaker seems to be taking his time-travelling capability to epic proportions.
This time, he has dialled the clock back to over 4000 years to 2016 BC to showcase the Indus Valley Civilisation at its height. Now this might be the furthest he can go back in time (unless he plans on giving us his take on the stone age!) but Ashutosh and the film’s lead Hrithik Roshan are far from done with period films. Word has it that the duo is planning another costume-drama together, which will complete a trilogy of period films for the two.
A source close to the film tells us, “It will be the third in the trilogy of period films that the director has planned with the star.” The trailer exudes the same expressive touch that we’ve witnessed in the duo’s earlier collaboration, Jodha Akbar, where they brought us a unique take on the Mughal Dynasty. However, unlike the grandiose and royal Akbar, here Hrithik plays a commoner named Sarman, who travels to the ancient city of Mohenjo Daro and starts his journey to rescue the city, or rather an entire civilisation, from destruction from the hands of the evil antagonist Maham, played by Kabir Bedi.
The trailer is cut in such a way that it accentuates Hrithik’s star-power even in a bygone era. He creates a panoramic space for Hrithik’s body language as well as his dialogues to have maximum impact. And his scenes of dramatic conflict with Kabir Bedi promise to be one of the film’s high points.
However, in terms of the lead pairing, there is very little that we can see of Hrithik and his romantic lead and newcomer Pooja Hegde. And even though the director teases us with a kiss between the two, there’s very little in the trailer by which to judge their compatibility. Ashutosh had signed newcomers as female leads in both Lagaan and Swades where Gracy Singh and Gayatri Joshi played the respective leading ladies for Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. We can only hope that Pooja creates a bigger impact.
