Eklavya (2007)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Writers:

Vidhu Vinod Chopra (writer)
Abhijit Joshi (writer)

Release Date:

16 February 2007 (India)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Royal Guard

Plot:

As the kingdom of Devigarh comes apart at the seams, an aging bodyguard attempts to protect the Royal Family, as well as keep its darkest secrets from ever coming to light.

Plot Keywords:

Fort | Kingdom | King | Prince | Rajasthan

Cast

Amitabh Bachchan	...	Eklavya
Saif Ali Khan	...	Prince Harshwardhan
Sanjay Dutt	...	DSP Pannalal Chohaar
Vidya Balan	...	Rajeshwari / 'Rajjo'
Jackie Shroff	...	Jyotiwardhan
Boman Irani	...	King Jaywardhan
Jimmy Shergill	...	Udaywardhan
Raima Sen	...	Princess Nandini
Sharmila Tagore	...	Queen Suhasinidevi
Parikshat Sahni	...	Omkar Singh
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adhir Bhatt	...	Pedicurist
Swanand Kirkire	...	Constable

Also Known As:

Eklavya: The Royal Guard (USA)
Yagna (India: Hindi title) (working title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

India:U | Ireland:PG | UK:12A | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Bikaner, Rajasthan, India

Company:

Vinod Chopra Productions

Trivia:

Vidhu Vinod Chopra spent five years working on the script.

Quotes:

[Eklavya escapes the King's attack on his life]
Rana Jaywardhan: [screaming in rage] EKLAVYA!

Movie Connections:

Features Parinda (1989)

Soundtrack:

Eklavya

Nice view

Two reasons why this movie is a good reason to watch: the first is the visuals. Rajastan is a beautiful place for sure, but dear god, does this movie make the most of it! There where times when I was actually holding my breath in awe of the sheer visual poetry that flashes across the screen.

The second reason: the acting. All the other commenters already cheered Big B's performance, and true, he really reaches unsurpassable form here. But be sure to also have an eye for Shroff, Irani, Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan: they also give an impresssive performance.

What's less good of the movie is the way the characters develop. VVD has a goldmine of a storyline here but he fails to mine it: we could have easily seen more of Big B's doubts about dharma, more of Saif Ali Khan's uneasy steps on the path of palace intrigue and treachery, more of Dutt's feeling as a scheduled caste DSP involved in outdated monarchical madness,more of Shroff's agitation as the king's younger brother - the story now is told in such a way that it leaves you guessing too much at what the characters would be going through, so that at the climax you recognize: this would have been a heart-breaking tragic scene of more then epic proportions, if only you would have felt more...

So,all in all, a good performance and a great visual tour of Rajastan - but not the brilliant movie you can easily understand it could have been.