ABSTRACT
When Aishwarya Rai lights up the screen as the Rajput princess Jodhbai in Ashustosh Gowarikar’s historical drama, Jodhaa Akbar (2008), it is her jewellery and ornate dress which captivate as much as this former Miss World’s beauty. Countless early reviews of the film and blogs by avid moviegoers, whether in India, the United States or Britain, highlight the pageantry of costume and sets in this film. Jodhaa blazes onto the screen in a kaleidoscopic palette of colours. She wears heavy ornate red, orange, green, vermilion and yellow silk and chiffon gaghras and odhanis, while flashing strings of pearl and diamond necklaces, gold naths and jewelled toe rings and amulets. The opulence of royal India, whether that of the imperial Mughal court or the festively decorated palaces of the Rajasthani kingdoms, is as much a leading character in this film as the life stories of the pseudo-historical figures it chronicles.
