Eklavya, The Royal Guard: A film by Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Vidhu Vinod Chopra has always had my respect. From 'Parinda', the compelling drama to the rib ticklingly funny 'Munnabhai M.B.B.S', he has always brought an altering genre to Hindi filmdom. With the exclusion of a couple of films, I believe all his movies contain a rare sensibility which is very difficult to portray alongside the rest of the Hindi movie package (songs, dance, romance). His screenplays are very well written and if ever his films bomb at the box office, it is either because the pace of the movie was slower than necessary or because the general public did not find the intellect essential to empathize with his cinematic philosophies. After a seven year hiatus Mr.Chopra finally brought his fans a much awaited feature that bore the stamp of his direction.

I avoid giving away the plot of a film while reviewing it because I would be doing the makers a great disservice by compressing their efforts into one blog entry.

Eklavya is a movie that definitely has a unique story. The cinematography is exquisite. Shot among the sand dunes and sunsets that cast golden hues over the deserts of Rajasthan, this movie reels in the tale of a royal family caught in a scandal and a series of murders. An estranged son (Saif Ali Khan) returns to the royal regime that has been plagued by unrest among the villagers and recently faced the death of their queen-mother (Sharmila Tagore).

Eklavya, the royal guard played by Amitabh Bachchan, has for years protected more than just the royal family. He is guarding a secret that has long been the bane of the king's existence. Revenge, jealousy and greed are explored without histrionics or fight sequences, simply and sufficiently by the plot. The implications of each plot and every revellation are carefully handled. Such controlled performances are very rare in Bollywood and hence worthy of appreciation. Saif Ali Khan has definitely won me over by his restrained renditions over his past few films. Vidya Balan is grace personified and the chemistry between the two actors is unmistakable.

In recent years, actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani and even Jackie Shroff have brought much attention to the formerly neglected character artist's persona in the Hindi movie scenario. Amitabh Bachchan having spent his heydays basking in the public's appreciation as a typical Hindi movie hero is now contributing his returns to the artistic world of cinema that deviates from glamor and focuses mainly on performances and storylines. Ultimately, I believe that he will be remembered by the array of characters he has played during his long tenure in the movie industry.

Although this movie is definitely worth a watch I will come to the area of the film I found most lacking: the pace. Whenever a dark plot is being illustrated, technical aspects of the movie such as editing and background score become crucial towards adding momentum to a plot that could fast become dull as every knot in the tangle comes loose and the audience don't have much to look forward to. For quite a while now, I have hoped that there will come a commercial movie that depicts a good, strong story in a small time span. The 'three hour rule' that has been plaguing the Hindi movie industry for so long should be re-evaluated. Attention spans of the genral public are getting shorter. The world is moving faster and gone are the times when the middle class made an entire day-out for a three hour matinee show at the movie theatre. If the story requires an hour of the public's time and is most entertaining within that first hour, why stretch it and have them believe that they are getting a three-hour long drama? It compromises the entertainment value of the film.

Among the actors, I felt that Boman Irani's get-up was extremely distracting and was not believable. He could have done without the hideous wig and the Maharaja costume. Jackie Shroff and Jimmy Shergill were wasted and could've been played by lesser known actors who might've added that much needed sense of evil that villains need to project. In a film that had so many quiet and listless moments, Sanjay Dutt's humorous character could've been further used to add energy. The story could have been made upto more contemporary standards so as to not lose out on the younger audience.

Sadly, the later half of the story defied all logic when the police officer (Sanjay Dutt) pitched in and falsely packaged two gruesome murders as suicides. How a man could stab himself to death and then proceed to jump before a speeding train is beyond my understanding. No matter who the good guys are in a movie, I can never relate to lawmakers joining hands with murderers even if it means giving up a typical Bollywood 'happy ending'. The name Eklavya has mythical relevance which was briefly addressed and then left hanging some where along the storyline.

I wonder if filmmakers watch their movie from the perspective of an audience once they make the entire film or as artists, do they fall in love with their own work to such an extent as to ignore some grave flaws? Either way, whenever the audience watches a movie there are points during which they sit up and actually take notice of certain key characters that add enigma or humor to the unfolding story. I believe it is only wise then to propel the movie's direction by incorporating more such gripping moments during the film to hold the attention of the fickle audience. "True Dharma, religion or consciousness of duty, is one that is dictated by intelligence" are the enlightened words of the protagonist in this film. And so I think, is true art.

Nonetheless, I hope Mr.Chopra will not leave his fans waiting for so long for his next directorial venture.