Mohenjo Daro -Reviews From various critics.
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Producer: Siddharth Roy Kapur, Sunita Gowariker
Cast:
Hrithik Roshan as Sarman
Pooja Hegde as Chaani
Kabir Bedi as Maham
Arunoday Singh as Moonja
Run Time: 2 hours and 30 Minutes
Review By:Rajeev Masand for CNNNews 18
Ashutosh Gowariker’s film Mohenjo Daro is an antiquated love story-cum-revenge drama that never rises above its clichés. Borrowing plot points from both The Lion King and Gladiator, the film tells the oldest story in the book: Downtrodden hero goes google-eyed over upper-caste girl, then avenges his father’s death while rebelling against an evil overlord. I’m going with two out of five for Mohenjo Daro. AR Rahman’s score, and the sincerity that Hrithik brings to the film are its only strengths. Let’s face it, this tale was best left in the ruins.
Review By: Anupama Chopra Site for Film companion
It breaks my heart to say this because so much talent and sweat is involved but Mohenjo Daro is a mess. It has ambition and scale.In an interview, Ashutosh had requested viewers to suspend disbelief when they see the film. I really tried. But eventually Maham’s horned headdress defeated me. I’m going with one and a half stars.
Review By:Komal Nahta Site for Zee ETC
On the whole, Mohenjo Daro is a box-office disaster and will be rejected by the paying public. It will entail back-breaking losses to its producers and distributors and to everyone associated with the film and will, therefore, go down in film history as a colossal flop.
Review By:Raja Sen for Rediff
It is a question we, the audience, would do well to echo, because it is hard to fathom what on earth led to this film being made. Within the first couple of minutes, which involve Roshan and a crocodile, it is clear that this is a children’s film, with cardboard characters — bearing, for some reason, Mandrake Comics names like Lothar and Hojo — and an oversimplified, overfamiliar plotline.
Review By:Sweta for Hindustan Times
The film that narrates the story of the Indus Valley civilization appears to be a mish-mash of director Ashutosh Gowarikar’s previous movies. Watch the film if Hrithik’s physique, dancing skills and flexibility are enough to attract you but you can totally avoid it if a grandeur does not make up for the lack of substance, facts and logic.
DNA Review
The problem with the film is that the love story has nothing new to offer. The novelty was the backdrop but that’s amateurishly presented. In terms of look and feel, the film is shoddy. The scale is poor and the VFX even worse. Watch it if you’re a Hrithik Roshan fan. The rest of Mohenjo Daro belongs to a bygone era.
Review By:Saibal for NDTV
Mohenjo Daro is a fantasy that has nothing fresh to offer. It banks on the same old brew of love, jealousy and violence, served up in an over-ambitious package that never assumes convincing proportions. Well, this film is called Mohenjo Daro and it is really deadening. It’s a pile of stale tropes that is unlikely to help us understand India’s prehistory any better than we do now. Mohenjo Daro is stuck in the past and not just in terms of its substance. What the film clearly says is that both director Gowariker and Hrithik need to move on and reinvent themselves.
Review By:BollywoodHungama
On the whole, MOHENJO DARO comes across as a grand historical fictional tale which appeals only in parts. The lack of engaging and relatable drama act as spoilsport in the narrative. From the Box Office perspective, competition from RUSTOM and lack of crucial narrative will act as a major hindrance.
Review By:Ritika for Zee News
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.Overall, do watch ‘Mohenjo Daro’ for Hrithik Roshan only. But keep your history textbooks miles away from it!
Review By:Manjusha for Gulfnews
The morality tale of good trumping evil is engaging and the climax, which involves an all-consuming flood is well captured. While Hegde lends good support, Bedi and his on-screen son snarl and roar to make their displeasure known. This is Roshan’s showcase all the way. While it splutters in places, the folkish epic makes for a good one-time watch.
Review By:Sreeju for BollywoodLife
This is no Lagaan. This is no Jodha Akbar. Mohenjo Daro may be better that Ashutosh’s What’s Your Raashee? (actually anything is better than that bore), but the film is a let down on several counts. Watch it only if you want to satiate your curiosity about that era (even that won’t help much) or for Hrithik Roshan. If you want to see a film that lets you learn more about the Indus Valley civilization, forget the idea and open your third standard history books.
Review By:Surabhi for Koimoi
Mohenjo Daro looks like a costume drama with bad CGI and an absolutely shoddy editing. Mohenjo Daro is a period drama that misses the train right from start. The story is too ordinary and it did not need an Indus valley civilization backing to it. This one is easily passable! Mohenjo Daro is a major failure in terms of both history and execution.
Review By:Sneha for Emirates
When a filmmaker of Ashutosh Gowariker’s repute decides to make a movie on Mohenjo Daro, the biggest settlement of Indus valley civilisation, you would expect him to be historically accurate yet retain his worth as a storyteller. However, his ‘Mohenjo Daro’ fails on both accounts.What’s even more questionable is the decision to invest in music (A R Rahman) and costume, but not on graphics, especially when it’s crucial to the narrative. The climax footage is profoundly dodgy, making you wonder how Gowariker green-lighted it. What’s even more dampening is the story, which is so archaic in tone and texture that it leaves us detached and thoroughly bored.
A 1 STAR RATING FOR THE MOVIE.
