Mohenjo Daro (Hindi Movie) Write a Review

Story

During the Pre-historic Indus Valley, in 2016 BC, the evil greed of a man is about to destroy one of the oldest cities in the ancient world, Mohenjo Daro. A young indigo farmer, Sarman, enters the city and meets Chaani, the daughter of the Priest, predicted to be the Origin of a New Society. Sarman, in his attempt to win Chaanis love, uncovers the secrets nobody was ever supposed to know - about Chaani, about Mohenjo Daro and about his own past!

The film is a one-man army, riding high on Hrithik's shoulders. He has tried his best to make it look as believable as possible. The kind of effort this superstar has put shows through the narrative—be it the most clapped scene in the hall (where he kills those 'Bakar Zokar' named cannibals) or even the last part where he swims like a god through a torrential flood.

The storyline is basic. How a boy is taken back to his roots and helps to dethrone a baddie to save his 'motherland from his clutches. In this journey of awakening, we find mentions of the righteous river Sindhu and how that civilisation found the holy river Ganga.

Former beauty queen Pooja Hegde as Chaani looks fine in her debut performance, who however could have been told to act a certain way, especially in crucial scenes such as the one where pujari is being cremated or even when she is about to reveal the identity of Sarman. The impact was less, and maybe that's because it's her first time.

But, there remains an inescapable problem which can't be ignored. And that is loopholes in the script. Ashutosh has written the script of 'Mohenjo Daro' and it becomes hard to digest after a point to overlook basic flaws such as 'how come the people of Mohenjo Daro believe the truth about Sarman when they were not even told about it'. Also, these people were the ones who didn't believe his father and when Chaani just mentions he is the one, they blindly believe without questioning about his past.

Also, what looked jarring was the costume given to Chaani. Why was it a cleavage revealing outfit at all? When others were not given a similar style. To show her above in rank, could not be a reason—as the makers could have styled her in a way which looked appropriate and didn't dilute the main subject.

Besides, these flaws, 'Mohenjo Daro' was smooth like silk in terms of cinematography by CK Muraleedharan. Music by maestro A R Rahman and especially the recurrent background theme was magical to the ears. Kabir Bedi as Maham and Arunoday Singh as Moonja played the negative force with much conviction. It was also a delight to hear the heavy baritone of Kabir Bedi.

Overall, do watch 'Mohenjo Daro' for Hrithik Roshan only. But keep your history textbooks miles away from it!