Mohenjo Daro Review

One line Review: A larger than life period drama based on the Indus Valley Civilization that is likable in parts.

Positive Points: A lot of efforts have been made to portray the ancient era and the hard work of the team is evident from the product. The sets and the costumes are apt. The entire film is backed by Hrithik Roshan’s performance. He is the super hero of the movie.

Negative Points: The film lacks the required depth and the soul. The storyline is extremely ordinary and the narration is weak. The film could not keep the audience hooked and it is definitely not griping. At several points the story and the sequences seemed unreal, hence completely putting the viewers off it.

Plot: Sarman (Hrithik Roshan), a sturdy young boy lives with his uncle and aunt in the small village of Aamli. Since the very beginning, Sarman has been adamant to visit Mohenjo Daro and was charmed by the famous trade land. But, for some strange covert reasons, his uncle was not keen on allowing him to go to the big town. Finally after all the efforts, Sarman’s uncle and aunt agree to send him to Mohenjo Daro for trade purposes.

Sarman reaches the place and undertakes his trade practise that is when he sees Chaani (Pooja Hegde) and instantly falls for her. Chaani is the daughter of the head priest of Mohenjo Daro and is considered a blessing of the Sindu River. Mohenjo Daro is the land of the greedy and cruel, where the ultimate punishment, for any one going against Pradaan Maham, is death. Maham (Kabir Bedi) is the monstrous head of the town, who is exploiting the people for his selfish needs.

What is Sarman’s connection with this new trade land? Will he be able to get the love of his life Chaani? Will he be able to save the innocent people from the slavery of the Maham? Answers rest in the second half of the film.

Direction and other Technical Aspects: Director Ashutosh Gowariker is known to direct historic period dramas and has created exceptional cinema in the past. With this film, the director once again attempts to create a historic period drama with a large canvas. But, lets the audience down with an extremely ordinary storyline and narration. Since the film has been announced and started taking shape, there were a lot of expectations from it. The whole set up and Indus valley background created an excitement and a certain hype. But, the average plot was unable to hold the audience’s attention. Many sequences were way too overboard and some seemed unreal. The camera work is decent, it could have been more intriguing. Cinematography by C. K. Muraleedharan is good. Editing by Sandeep Francis is average; it could have been a lot more crisp. Costumes by Neeta Lulla and April Ferry are appreciable. The VFX and special effects are above average.

Performances: Hrithik Roshan is the whole and soul of the film and makes the period drama watchable and believable. He carries the entire movie on his strong shoulders, pulling off even the toughest fight sequences smoothly. His performance is commendable.

Pooja Hegde makes her Bollywood debut with this movie. Unfortunately, she does not have much to offer through her role. The beautiful diva delivered an average performance. She received one opportunity to showcase her acting strength in a scene, when after her father’s death she had to appeal to all the villagers, but, she falls short to create an impact there.

Kabir Bedi is the baddie of the movie. He is the cruel Maham of Mohenjo Daro who exploits innocent peasants for his selfish needs. He does a decent job and managed to pull it off. All the supporting actors essayed their role justifiably.

Music: The music by A. R. Rahman is good. Background score is decent. Melodious songs like ‘Tu Hai’ stay with you for long. The title track is upbeat and very well gels with the scenario.

Final Verdict: This period drama can be a onetime watch for all the Hrithik Roshan fans. For the efforts and research in making this larger than life historic drama, the team deserves their share of appreciation, keeping aside all the flaws.