With large-scale and successful films like Lagaan (2001) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008) under his belt, Ashutosh Gowariker came prepared when he started shooting for his ambitious project Mohenjo Daro. Set in 2016 BC, Mohenjo Daro promised a unique story and a whole lot of wonderment. The film, however, failed on both accounts.

In this week’s Wahiyat Wednesday, we revisit Ashutosh Gowariker’s film and how it turned out to be a drabfest.

Mohenjo Daro follows the story of Sarman (Hrithik Roshan), a village hero who kills giant crocodiles with the same ease as Salman Khan trashes goons on the big screen. Sarman is a farmer who wants to trade indigo in the big city of Mohenjo Daro. His uncle warns him against the idea but he can’t win over Sarman’s inquisitiveness to see the world. At Mohenjo Daro, Sarman falls in love with the priest’s daughter (played by Pooja Hedge), which leads to the path of his self-discovery. He pits the junta against their oppressive leader and saves them from a man-made calamity.

Though Mohenjo Daro is set in 2016 BC, the film’s story isn’t as unique as it was claimed to be. Sure, the idea looks brilliant on paper, but Mohenjo Daro turns out to be like any other Bollywood film. An extremely fit, good-looking, good-hearted hero who challenges the corrupt authority and ends up ruling the state and the heroine’s heart. The storyline is as cliched as it can get.

On top of that, the film’s drab dialogues push it further down the hole. The characters have to blurt out every small detail for the audience to understand. If this wasn’t enough, Ashutosh (also the writer of the film) has included some bizarre sequences which make the audience feel really dumb. For instance, in a scene, Pooja Hedge’s character, who is kind of a celebrity in Mohenjo Daro, just removes her headgear and roams about town dancing with Sarman and no one recognises her.

Some level of disbelief is expected in a film like Mohenjo Daro, but the terrible CGI effects used to show the flood and giant crocodiles demand more disbelief than we came prepared with. Ashutosh also faced the wrath of historians and critics for historical inaccuracies in Mohenjo Daro. The filmmaker, however, defended himself saying that he took creative liberties and said that his intention was to convey the story.

Despite these glaring glitches, there are some applause-worthy elements in Mohenjo Daro. One of them is Hrithik Roshan’s sincere performance. The actor shouldered the entire film. He even looked convincing in the over-the-top action sequences. Apart from the lead actor’s performance, the sets of Mohenjo Daro was impressive and it managed to transport us 4,000 years ago.

But Hrithik’s sincerity and the hard work of the film’s team deserved a better script. Mohenjo Daro will complete five years of release on August 12. The film is currently streaming on Disney + Hotstar.