Eklavya: A sober drama

If you are planning to watch Eklavya in cinema hall, I'll suggest you not to waste time and money. Eklavya is a film with a simple royal story not at all relevant in modern times. It acquaints you with a royal dynasty of Rajasthani kings (or Ranas) and their royal guard, who lives only to protect the fort and the king. For nine generations Eklavya's family has protected the effort and dynasty and the royal guard also follows the footsteps of his ancestors.

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Storyline:

The film opens with a dying queen (Sharmila Tagore) who reveals her long-past affair with the devoted family guard, Eklavya (Amitabh Bachchan), calling Eklavya on her deathbed, prompting the anger of her husband, The king, Rana Jaywardhan (Boman Irani), who strangles her, that brigs alienated prince, Harshwardhan ( Saif Ali Khan), home from London.

The Prince's return brings a rush of joy into the declining fort. His mentally challenged twin sister, Princess Nandini (Raima Sen) and his childhood love Rajjo (Vidya Balan) are delighted to see him.

Soon it is revealed that Eklavya is the father of Prince Harshwardhan (Saif Ali Khan) and Princess Nandini (Raima Sen).

The king Rana Jaywardhan is killed by his brother and nephew that compelled the loyal Eklavya to take revenge. An irreverent police officer, Pannalal Chohar (Sanjay Dutt) is called in to investigate.

But it was too late, the fragile peace of the land is suddenly shattered by a barrage of bullets and amidst the chaos, the safely guarded secrets of the fort are unveiled.

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The only good thing about the film is Mr. Bachchan's acting. The only real thing is Mr. Bachchan's beard. His work really needs to be appreciated. He unquestionably is a seasoned star.

The film forces one to figure out who is related to whom in which way. Moreover the pace of the film is so slow that one keeps waiting for intermission. And after coming out one keeps wondering whether the film was about trains or it's about camels??

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Critics:

John Anderson: 'There are dry spots, but Chopra is aspiring to epic cinema, both in his themes and his visuals, and most of the time it works. And, yes, there really is an intermission, just in case one needs to catch one's breath.'

Andy Webster: 'The swooping camera movements, slow motion and dexterous derring-do conjure martial arts movies; arid desert scenes suggest the western; and a spooky confrontation in a villain's screening room almost plays like the 1960 British thriller 'Peeping Tom'.

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