'Jodha was Akbar’s bahu, not begum'

Experts dispute Ashutosh Gowariker's portrayal of Jodhabai as Akbar's wife in Jodhaa Akbar, reports Avishek G Dastidar.

Has Ashutosh Gowariker got it all wrong? Noted historians have contended that his highly publicised film Jodhaa Akbar, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwariya Bachchan, is factually incorrect.

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Noted historians maintain that Mughal Emperor Akbar never married anyone named Jodhabai. And that Jodhabai was, in fact, his daughter-in-law, Jehangir’s wife.

The debate comes ahead of the film’s release next month. Rajput organisations in Rajasthan have threatened to block the release, accusing Gowariker of distorting facts.

"Historical documents, including Akbarnama and Jehangir’s memoirs, say it was not Akbar but Jehangir who got married to the House of Jodhpur. So the princess was later called Jodhabai," says historian Satish Chandra, author of NCERT History books.

Agrees historian Mohammad Amin. “Akbar forged alliances with Rajput families and he married the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber, who was later titled Maryam Rahmani or the Mother of Rulers of the Universe. But there is no evidence to say that she was called Jodhabai.”

How did the name Jodhabai get coined for Akbar’s wife then? Some blame the epic film Mughal-E-Azam. “A whole generation grew up believing what Mughal-E-Azam showed as accurate account of Mughal history. But accurate history said something else,” says SZH Jafri, head of the department, History, DU.

(With KS Tomar)