Pre-historic parable, quite watchable

Like the life and times of that era in which it is depicted, Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Mohenjo Daro’ too unfolds unhurriedly and through the first 40 minutes or so, proceeds at a leisurely pace. Seemingly confident of holding on its own, this film sticks to the basics, not being overwhelmed by the baggage of history and putting together a largely interesting, earnest film of 155 minutes.

Mounted on a scale, which facilitates the introduction of a raja-rani kind of a fable rather easily, Gowariker shows his hero, Hrithik Roshan, as a restless adventurer intuitively drawn towards the magical land of Mohenjo Daro, where he lands ultimately. What starts off as a barter bazaar trip obviously does not stop there.

From here, the director snaps his leading star’s connections to his pastoral ambience and transplants him in a modern town, amidst a tyrant chieftain and his suppressed subjects, with a comely heroine, Pooja Hegde, to make his heart aflutter. The usual misunderstandings, the not-so- surprising truth about the hero’s actual identity and a well-shot, water-logged, flood-affected climax brings to an end, an ambitious venture, shot over a period of two years and more.

Keeping a lot of audience expectations under a tight leash, Gowariker does not digress into too much of archival pursuits but keeps the proceedings commercial and uni-directional. The inescapable lapsing into a formulaistic narration, where the characters are the standard fixtures in such kinds of movies – a damsel in distress, a scheming father, a desperate mother, an over-ambitious and cruel son and the spineless courtiers of the palace – all swarm around the screen, while the hero grows from strength to strength from a wide-eyed small towner to a rightful claimant to the throne.

Performances wise, Hrithik Roshan does what he is best at– fluid dance movements, minimalistic emotions and a strong screen presence. Pooja Hegde, the latest Southern siren to hit the Hindi film world, is good enough as a counterfoil to the brawny hero. Kabir Bedi, by far, hogging screen time for the longest possible time in recent times is below par as he looks haggard, discounting the royal aura that is a must in such roles.

None else worth the name is shown having any presence which can create an impact in the viewer’s mind, but for the hero’s pal, who manages to hold on his own. AR Rahman is impressive both with his background score and a duet, crooned by him and a new female voice, Sanah Moidutty.

Film Name : Mohenjo Daro
Cast : Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde, Kabir Bedi and Arunodhay Singh
Direction : Ashutosh Gowariker
Genre : Drama-romance
Likes : Visual richness, CG
Dislikes : Sticking to usual folklore