Ashutosh Gowariker was approached by actor-screenwriter Haidar Ali with the idea of making a film along the lines of K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam (1960).
Instead, after some research, the two prepared an epic romantic musical based on Akbar and his Rajput queen Jodhaa Bai.Shah Rukh Khan, who’d starred in Gowariker’s Swades, was approached to star in Jodhaa Akbar. The actor declined the project due to long shooting commitments.Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were cast as Akbar and Jodhaa Bai, their second collaboration after Dhoom 2. The actors would again reunite for Guzaarish (2010).Jodhaa Akbar was the third consecutive collaboration between Gowarikar and A.R Rahman, following Lagaan and Swades.Designer Neeta Lulla, who’d worked on Bhansali’s Devdas, was hired to create the costumes for Jodhaa Akbar.Roshan learned Urdu to prepare for his role as the Mughal king. He also learned sword-fighting and horse-riding with Aishwarya.Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wore brown contact lenses for her part.The film’s shooting began at the ND Studios in Karjat. A majority of the shoot took place in Rajasthan, mainly around Jaipur.Palace scenes featuring Rai before her marriage to Akbar were filmed at the Roopangarh Fort in Kishangarh.Over 80 elephants, 100 horses, and 55 camels were used in the film.Hrithik had a very 'filmy' horse on set. Whenever she heard action, she would take off, even if the scene required her to be stationary. The names of his horses were Chandni and Superman.The film features a sequence of the First Battle of Panipat. Ashutosh would later direct Panipat (2019), on the conclusive third battle.The film features a sequence of the First Battle of Panipat. Ashutosh would later direct Panipat (2019), on the conclusive third battle.It was the first film to credit Aishwarya with her married name - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.The role of Akbar's mother Hamida Banu Begum was offered to Saira Banu, who declined citing family commitments.Wing Commander Yogesh Suri, who played Bairam Khan, is a qualified Cosmonaut, having flown aircraft like MiG 21 and MiG 25 during his career.The song Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah required about 12 assistant choreographers, 400 dancers and 2,000 extras.Certain ethnic groups claimed the film distorted historical truth and minimised Rajput history.It led to protests resulting in the film being banned in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttarakhand.The Supreme Court of India later lifted the ban in Uttar Pradesh and some towns of Uttarakhand and Haryana.It was also claimed that Jodhaa Bai was not the name of Akbar’s queen but his daughter-in-law married to Jehangir.Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya’s father-in-law, narrated the opening sequence of Jodhaa Akbar. He’d also narrated Gowarikar’s Lagaan.Indrajeet Sarkar was cast in the role of Birbal, but his scenes were cut to reduce the film’s duration.