Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007)

Touches You

Simply Perfect

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I don't understand why most of the users here have written negative comments regarding this movie. Eklavya had a powerful, well narrated story that had me captivated right from the start. Yes, it is not a typical Hindi film but i am truly glad for that. The cast and the director have done brilliant jobs in bringing this movie to the masses. Now, it was not received very well at the box office in India but that is understandable as Eklavya is not the typical 'singing, running around trees' sort of movie. The cast have performed well and the character acting shone out; from Amitabh, Saif and even the villains. It has also been nominated for an Oscar for best foreign movie so it deludes me as to why anyone would not want to see it!

Eklavya: The Royal Guard is certainly getting a lot of mixed reviews. Some people love it, others hate it and even more others don't know what to make of it. This is probably because the film has a lot of potential in its storyline, its cast, and its setting. My problem with it is that it doesn't live up to its entire potential.In the director's haste to make the movie short, it actually takes away from "what could have been". There is not enough background information and display of the relationships between the characters. There are also some boring scenes and some parts become annoyingly repetitive. The best part about this movie is the acting. Amitabh and Saif especially show to the world once again why they are such great actors. The cinematography is also fantastic.Again, the potential for this story is so much more than what is displayed. Nonetheless it is worth watching for some of the VERY gripping scenes. These few scenes make the movie what it is. If the whole movie was compiled with the same conviction that is in these scenes it would be good enough for an Oscar nomination! (You will know what scenes they are once you watch the film.)

I just saw Eklavya. Vidhu Vinod Chopra claims it took him 5 years to write it. I really wish he had spent 5 hours of that in actually researching the historical accuracies of palace politics and the machinations that went on. It would have made the film authentic. While technically well crafted the film is completely hollow.I was educated at Mayo College and had the opportunity to visit the homes of many of my Rajput schoolmates. While no one questions the decadence of the Rajputs during the British raj their contribution to India is usually under represented.In the old days it would have been extremely difficult for a Maharani to have a fling with the guard. No matter how much the two might have wanted it. This has nothing to do with morals but the logistics of how a palace functioned. It was nearly impossible for the Maharani to be alone. Even if she were on a pilgrimage she would have an entourage waiting on her hand and foot. This is not a Bombay housewife having a fling with the darwan while the husband is at work. It is a little more complicated than that.The land never belonged to the villagers. It always belonged to the state. So there was never any question of "giving the land back". This is nothing but a populist gimmick so that the film appeals to the masses.Harshwardhan giving away the land and publicly admitting to his parentage may please the front bencher's but in terms of real palace intrigue is preposterous. But this seems to stem not from telling an authentic story but from the demons that Mr. Chopra carries with him. In bollywood circles it is an open secret that Mr. Chopra is..... it's unfortunate that he has enlisted the stupendous talents of Amitabh Bachchan and Saif Ali Khan to exorcise those demons.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOME of the most revered names in the Hindi movie industry come together on screen? Magic? Nah…try again. Explosion? Maybe…but the word I am looking for is – class. The defining part of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's latest venture 'Eklavya' is just that – class.OK so we have seen it all, you say. Several neat examples of well made decent and classy pictures does come to mind from the recent past – Khosla ka ghosla et al. But what makes 'Eklavya' a tad different is just one name – Amitabh Bachchan. Never have I seen an actor who said so much just by looking at you with those emotion filled eyes. Never have I been witness to a performance that relied so heavily on the magnitude of silence. Amitabh delivers this to a standing ovation.'Eklavya' is proof, as if 'Black' wasn't a slap-in-the-face Amitabh is just getting warmed up after three decades example, that he is indeed a legend. When I saw Amit effortlessly slip into the role of an aging royal guard who has nothing left to guard this crumbling royal family from, I wondered about what a genius we have amongst us. I thanked the Almighty for having given us such a gifted talent who has stuck with our stereotypical masala fare for so many long years. Bravo – Mr. Director – for showing us Amitabh in a whole other frame.So what is the movie about? The script relies heavily on the mystery that tends to revolve around every royal family in the world. The secrets, the lies, the deceits that hide behind the smiling regal chins who make their appearances in public with a fly swatter for company. We have the old royal guard Eklavya who is mourning the recent demise of the queen mother Suhasini Devi (Sharmila Tagore). She is married to a cynical, insecure and borderline insane king father, as it were, Rana Jaywardhan (Boman Irani). Mystery begins to creep its ugly head the moment the king willingly strangles the queen on her death bed. We begin to wonder – hmm…I wonder why he did that. A few heartbeats later as Eklavya comes running to her aid we begin to connect the dots.The relationships are unearthed in true Vidhu Chopra style during the next few frames as we look at one ugly facet after another of this royal bunch. Enter Harshwardhan (Saif Ali Khan) from London who is home to finish the final rites of his beloved mother's mortal remains. We also meet his childhood sweetheart Rajeshwari (Vidya Balan) whose soul aches for the prince's attention. Somewhere in this mix of players we have Mr. Unafraid-to-speak-to-royalty-with-an-attitude Pannalal Chohaar (Sanjay Dutt) who is the local DSP and supposedly law enforcer. We also get a glimpse of scheming royal cousin Udaywardhan (Jimmy Shergill) and his equally sadistic father and the king's brother Jyotiwardhan (Jackie Shroff).My my! What an impressive line up, isn't it? And indeed they all do complete justice with the tight one hour and forty five minutes of total screen time for this feature. One neatly placed lullaby for a song and 'Eklavya' is completely focused on the unearthing the various good, bad and ugly sides to the castle and it's king.I will save you the pain of glorifying the performances since it is to be seen. I will also save you the trouble to read through my rendition of the cinematography and lens work as it is to be experienced. I will definitely spare you the bane of having to wonder why 'Eklavya' confirms quality in Indian cinema as it is to be understood and more importantly appreciated.