Movies Like Jodhaa Akbar (2008)

Staff & contributors

Chasing the feel of watching Jodhaa Akbar ? Here are the movies we recommend you watch right after.

History is rife with marriages made for practical alliance, but the ones that are more memorable are the ones made hand-in-hand with true love. Jodhaa Akbar may not start out with love at first sight, but director Ashutosh Gowariker reimagines the titular couple of the Mughal Empire with all the production value and all the slow-paced, step-by-step building of a romance that strengthened the kingdom. With Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan slashing their swords in place of flirting, Jodhaa Akbar transforms historical fact into a captivating epic romance, even though the film is quite long, and the accuracy is slightly dubious.

, 2002

The Bengali novel Devdas has undeniably captivated the entire Indian subcontinent with its tragic love triangle, spawning numerous adaptations, but arguably 2002’s Devdas is one of the best ones. Co-writer and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali takes the classic tale and transforms it into a spectacular, well-crafted period drama musical that pleasures the eyes and hits all the right notes in all production aspects– the performances, the sets, the costumes, the camera, the lighting, the music, and the choreography– while still transcending the story with key changes that feel natural and effortless. Devdas is Bollywood and Bhansali at their finest, with its full three hours breezing through in pure splendor.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Amardeep Jha, Dina Pathak, Disha Vakani, Jackie Shroff, Jaya Bhattacharya, Kirron Kher, Madhuri Dixit, Manoj Joshi, Milind Gunaji, Muni Jha, Shah Rukh Khan, Smita Jaykar, Tiku Talsania, Vijayendra Ghatge

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali