Mohenjo Daro review: Relevant concept turned into lacklustre film

Film: Mohenjo Daro (U)
Rating: 2.5/5

Mohenjo Daro is the story of one of the largest settlements in the Indus Valley civilization, told through the eyes of Sarman (Hrithik Roshan), an indigo farmer, who feels a strange connection with the city set on the banks of the Sindhu river. A hero of sorts in his small village named Amri, Sarman dreams of Mohenjo Daro and a mythical animal with one horn.

His uncle and aunt, whom he lives with, discourage him from going to Mohenjo Daro, saying it is a city of greed. Finally, Sarman decides to take the indigo (blue dye) to Mohenjo Daro himself, where they trade it for grain every year.

Mohenjo Daro is then introduced as a huge walled city (divided into upper and lower city), which is a hub for trade. The sets by Sanjay Karole, the special effects and cinematography by CK Muraleedharan, are executed beautifully. Gowariker has put his all into create a thriving city.

Once inside, Sarman instantly experiences the tyranny of the pradhan, Maham (Kabir Bedi), and his son Moonja (Arunoday Singh), and refuses to suffer injustice. He is about to leave the city when his eyes fall on the beautiful Chaani ( Pooja Hegde), who is considered a blessing from Sindhu Ma and worshipped by the locals, and he stays to complete his trade.

When Maham raises taxes under the pretext of repairing parts of the lower city, Sarman leads the people to rebellion. Sarman soon learns about his connection to the city and decides to avenge the injustice done to him and the people. Maham has also built a dam to recover gold from the Sindhu river, causing it to change its course, in turn affecting farmers. The gold is secretly being used to buy weapons and wage a war against Harappa. The climax of the film, in which the people overthrow authority, and the events that follow are the most significant part of the tale. The action sequences are choreographed masterfully.

The music by AR Rahman is decent, but the background score does get jarring at certain points.

This role does not challenge Hrithik Roshan as an actor and he cruises through it just executing the basics. Pooja Hegde's character could have been a lot better as her introductory scene showed a lot of promise, but her role is reduced to that of a sweet smiling young woman. In a couple of scenes, like a funeral scene and the one where she addresses the people, she fails to make the desired impact.

The supporting cast of Kabir Bedi, Suhasini Mule, and Arunoday Singh are often over the top in their dialogue delivery.

This story is based in 2016 BC, but it mirrors what is happening in big cities around the country even today. Heavy taxes are levied on citizens under the pretext of providing better infrastructure and economic opportunities. But the promises are never fulfilled. People migrate to the cities in the hope of getting a livelihood and cities are burdened with rising population. We are still struggling to build better infrastructure and farmers are suffering as we continue playing havoc with nature in the name of development. A large amount of taxes and the government treasury is used to develop the armed forces and buy weapons, and the rest to line politicians' pockets.

The parallels between Gowariker's ancient world and the modern day are easy to establish. Gowariker's fictional tale of what could have led to the downfall of Mohenjo Daro is interesting. He also needs to be lauded for visualising and recreating the ancient world, and attempting to tell a story based in that period, but his script fails him.

What is disappointing is not the historical inaccuracies or the special effects, but the writing, characters and execution, which are lacklustre. This film is a one-time watch for those who want to experience the world Gowariker has created without expecting anything spectacular from the plot.

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Producer: Siddharth Roy Kapur and Sunita Gowariker
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Kabir Bedi, Pooja Hegde
Story and screenplay: Ashutosh Gowariker
Music: AR Rahman
Runtime: 150 min