Eklavya

They have called it the “Greek Tragedy”, a masterpiece that unfolds to bring out the best in Indian cinema and an original script that brings in the touch of Shakespearean tragedy with masterly craft. So when I watched the movie there was much anticipation. A Vidhu Vinod Chopra movie is always special and if the man is returning at the helm after a long hiatus of 7 years there is bound to be expectations. With a stellar star cast that combines the best in the bollywood both in terms of skills as well as star value the movie was safe bait anyhow. (Now don’t bring in Salaam-e-Ishq for God’s sake to counter this point). You must have watched the movie or may be planning to watch it in the coming weekend. So let me tell you how the movie fared in my view.

Indian Cinema is changing and a good thing is that we are looking beyond the regular love stories, tearjerkers and revenge based themes. The ambience in which Eklavya has been set is superb. The mix of the age old royalty and the modern world has been captured brilliantly. The director also does not waste any of the cinematic time and comes straight to the story. So far so good. The story of a decaying royalty and its loyal guard unfolds like poetry on the screen. The director has to be credited for that. But apart from performances and technical brilliances the film hinges on a very thin story line. In fact the film could have been darker and subsequently more effective. The film is short (approx 1hr. 50 min) and hence one can not complain of it being not crispier. The editor has to be applauded for giving movie the pace it deserves. What I craved for was a bit refined script and possibly a darker storyline. In the end you feel as if being cheated. To be a part of such a fantastic movie experience and yet coming out empty handed is not what one can withstand easily. Though there is every penny worth of drama in the movie. My favorite scene is one in which the Big B aimed the pigeon with his knife and proved his prowess to an awe struck Sanjay Dutt. Performances are of top category. Amitabh Bachchan is no doubt the best of lot but so are Jackie Shroff and Sanjay Dutt (in a miniscule role). Saif has added one more feather to his career through a restrained performance. The surprise is however from Jimmy Shergil. Watch his negative act to realize the acting potential of this man. Boman Irani is effective but Sarmila Tagore is wasted.

The cinematography is good and the angles, through which the cinematographer had caught the beauty of Rajasthan is commendable. Technically it is a sound movie except for a few blemishes. VVC has given us a few masterpieces. This one may not rank among the top for me but it is one of the better film to come out the bollywood bandwagon in recent years.

My Verdict: Go and give it a try.