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When the movies lie

Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar seems to have opened a can of controversies, with some Rajputs claiming that Akbar's wife was in fact, not Jodhaa.

The film has been banned in Rajasthan, while protests were staged in Uttar Pradesh when it released.

But Jodhaa Akbar is not the film historical to take cinematic liberty where hard facts were concerned. Quite a few films made in the past have distorted history. We take a look:

Mughal-E-Azam

In this K Asif classic, the film showed Emperor Akbar's son Salim (also known as Emperor Jehangir) falling in love with a court dancer, Anarkali, and disobeying his father's orders to forget her.

Salim challenges his father to a battle. Salim loses, forcing Anarkali to surrender. She is buried alive. But since Akbar had a soft heart, he later allowed her to escape.

Fact: The biggest debate was whether Anarkali actually existed. Even in Emperor Jehangir's autobiography, there is no mention of Anarkali, and his love for a court dancer.

In the picture: Prithviraj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar in Mughal-e-Azam

Text: Patcy N

Also read: Did Jodhabai really exist?

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