Why Hrithik Roshan’s Mohenjo Daro Failed to Charm Us

The trailer of Mohenjo Daro is nothing like the Harappan Civilisation.

Kya hai yeah, Fantasy Daro? (Photo: YouTube screengrab)

Wow! Is it just us, or did Ashutosh Gowariker really mess up his history lessons in school? It’s not that we paid much attention in class, but the little that we did, we weren’t left with grand delusions regarding Mohenjo Daro or Harappan culture.

Kya hai ye, Mohenjo Daro or Fantasy Daro?

We can’t believe that it’s the same Ashutosh who made us feel patriotic when Bhuvan & Co. fought hard and won the cricket match against the British Raj in Lagaan. Or brought tears to our eyes when Mohan Bhargava rediscovered India in Swades.

The trailer of his much-awaited period drama Mohenjo Daro was released on Monday and it turned out to be an epic fail!

Jodhaa Akbar or Mohenjo Daro, Ki Farak Painda Hai?

Spot the difference. (Photo: YouTube screengrabs)

It took Ashutosh over three years to develop the film, and it seems pretty obvious that the director made Mohenjo Daro under the influence of Jodhaa Akbar. Ashutosh gave us a glimpse of Hrithik Roshan – what Emperor Akbar would look like during recession – as Sarman (Indigo farmer).

Gladiator + Game of Thrones = Mohenjo Daro

The trailer of Mohenjo Daro seems like a perfect Gujarati thali – a little bit of Egyptian culture, a bit of Gladiator and some spicy masala from Game of Thrones – all put together to create an epic Bollywood saga.

Hrithik dons Russell Crowe’s Gladiator-hat and turns into Maximus, not just in the very first shot of the trailer, but whenever he needs to fight bad men in an open arena. And that’s not all that inspired Ashutosh.

Jon Snow’s steamy, sensuous love-making scene in the cave from Game of Thrones caught Ashutosh’s fantasy and turned Hrithik into Snow and raised the temperatures in Indus Valley. In the rest of the film (as we’ve already told you), poor Roshan suffers from an identity crisis.

Originality ki toh watt lagyi!

Hrithik ‘Tanned’ Roshan

Bollywood loves its ‘fair and lovely’ women and its ‘fair and handsome’ men. But Mr Gowariker makes ‘hatke’ films. Hence Hrithik has been layered with brown powder to so that he looks authentically Harappan.

Kya realism hai Ashutosh bhai!