Mumbai: Jodhaa-Akbar, the Rs 40-crore period film, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, releases this Friday. And for director Ashutosh Gowariker, it has clearly been a labour of love. CNN-IBN's Entertainment Editor, Rajeev Masand caught up with him in an exclusive interview.

Rajeev Masand: How does the director of films like Lagaan and Swades feels before the release of his new film, which is as ambitious if not more, in terms of scale budget stars as the previous two films?

Ashutosh Gowariker: I'm feeling anticipated excitment, I'm really looking forward to the audience's reaction to the film and I'am just counting days now.

Rajeev Masand: How do you respond to the controversy that has been brewing about the alleged historical inacuracy of the plot of Jodhaa Akbar?

Ashutosh Gowariker: Every historian has a different account of the same story, so you have one historian calling Jodhaa as Zarkha bai, and another one calling her by the name of Manmati, some call her Shahi bai, and yet another calls her Jia rani. Since the common man today has heard of Jodhaa, I thought that it is best to use that name and make the film. That is why I did not call the film, Zarkha Akbar or Manmati Akbar.

Rajeev Masand: What is the final running time of the film?

Ashutosh Gowariker: It's a little above three hours.

Rajeev Masand: Do you often find yourself being asked, why you make such long film?

Ashutosh Gowariker: There is a reason I make long films, if one is making a comedy, two hours are enough for it or if one is making a murder mystery , two hours are enough for it as well. But whenever one makes a drama, drama by the genre definition itself demands more time.