Director: Ashutosh Gowariker | Music: A.R Rahman | Release Date: August 12th 2016

Genre: Drama/Adventure/Romance | Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde

“Mohenjo Daro” is an adventurous love story that takes place in the year 2016 BC. Hrithik Roshan plays the role of Sarman, a character who will remind you very much of “Aladdin.” Sarman lives in the village of Amri in the Indus Valley and is very eager to explore the nearby civilization called Mohenjo Daro. He finally sets off to see this land to feels that somehow this city is connected to him. Classic Hindi movie plot: Sarman meets and falls in love with the daughter of the City Priest, Chaani (played by Pooja Hegde). Tensions arise when the city’s evil aristocracy get in the way of Chaani and Sarman’s wish to be together. Watch the movie to learn about how Sarman discovers his roots to Mohenjo Daro and fights for his love, Chaani.

The positives:

1. The setting. If you want to learn about pre-historic India and the civilization of Mohenjo Daro, this is the movie for you! Fun Fact: This is the first and only Bollywood movie so far that depicts this era. Mohenjo Daro is a UNESCO World Heritage spot that is now Sindh, Pakistan. It was one of the world’s earliest major urban settlements. The site was abandoned in 19th century BC, and was later rediscovered in the 1920s!

2. Hrithik’s acting was the best out of all the other cast members. He also looks “Greek God” gorgeous, even in his simple, rustic village clothing. Yes, even pre-historic Hrithik has dance moves.

3. The songs and music – absolutely stunning soundtrack by A.R. Rahman! You can never be disappointed with that 🙂 My favorite was “Tu Hai” – the video makes a lot more sense when you know the story..!

 The negatives:

1. The extended story line – “Mohenjo Daro” starts off as your typical predictable Hindi movie… but this was OK because you are distracted by the time/era the movie takes place in. Then after about 1/2 way in, you expect it to end.. but no.. the story just continues…another 30 minutes goes by and you are at, what you think, the grand finale scene! Nope, it’s just intermission…

2.  Lead actress Pooja Hegde – she looked the part pretty well but her acting could definitely use some work. She definitely wasn’t as convincing as her role asked for..

3. Dance choreography – quite interesting as they tried to depict what dance may have been like in this era. I appreciated the classical, “story telling” type hand gestures. I do feel they could have enhanced Chaani’s dance steps to be more graceful and intricate as they were far too basic for A.R. Rahman’s melodious soundtrack.

4. The CGI – absolutely unacceptable quality!! Made me cringe.

In summary, the much awaited “Mohenjo Daro” disappointed many Ashutosh Gowariker and Bollywood fans. It may be worth a watch if you LOVE Hrithik or if want to learn about pre-historic Indian era. If you choose to see this in theater, leave your brains and high expectations at the door, especially for the second half of the film.

Ratings:

Acting: 3/5
Story: 2/5
Costumes: 4/5
Choreography: 3/5
Sets/Filming Location: 5/5

CGI: 1/5
Songs: 5/5
Eye Candy: 4/5
Length of Movie: 2/5

Overall: *** or 6/10

 

Key:
* = flop, don’t even bother
** = time pass, you’ll live if you don’t see it
*** = worth a watch
**** = A hit, see it in the theater!
***** = Bollywood Blockbuster