A lot of critics recommended Eklavya if you liked Guru or Omkara. But I didn't like them at all and I rented Eklavya because there was no other film that looks good to watch. I thought that it would just turn out to be another disposable movie but it didn't.The film had an amazing story told in a very neat way about a royal guard of a rich family who is also like a family member and is going to avenge the murder of his master. It had an excellent blend of emotional drama & thriller; the most emotional scene was when Eklavya met Saif Ali Khan for the first time.The best scene of the whole film was when Eklavya was blindfolded and threw his knife at a flying dove with a bell tied to its foot and managed to cut off the bell without hurting the dove, later he caught the bell before it fell into the water. Also shows that he has poor eyesight but has really good hearing.The casting was great and Amitabh Bachchan is simply the No 1 in Bollywood, he was the best throughout the whole film and he never fails to impress. Running length is small but it was better that way because it's like a story telling film that starts to get boring after 2 hours but it was 1 hour 40 minutes, which was better. Unlike Guru which was 2.5 hours and could of been cut down to half.Overall it is an absolute beautiful film and a must see. Although it was flopped at box office but was critically acclaimed and might be nominated for an Oscar because it certainly does deserves it. I couldn't see a single mistake in the film also it doesn't have a single useless scene and the ending was perfect. There was only 1 song "Chanda Re" which was a very nice, light and heartfelt song.

Bollywood has been churning up some impressive films recently,and improving the quality of their films.But they have yet to learn to master the art of film-making.Their films are not yet perfect or great; they still have a long way to go.But after having seen this film,I'm glad to say that they are getting close.Bollywood has the potential to make great movies and they are trying and improving and almost getting there.But they still fall short of spectacular results.I would say EKLAVYA is by far the best of the very,very rare number of good films that Bollywood has made throughout their existence.Why,because it's more focused and well made than any of their minute number of good films.It's got rich atmosphere,intriguing setup,brilliant visuals,impressive sets,costumes and a different vision.But,overall,it is still a flawed epic.The story revolves around a family,that is hiding secrets that once revealed,might have deadly consequences upon them.It is inspired by some of Shakespeare's works and it echoes throughout the film.It's about one aging guard(Bachchan),named Eklavya; who has served for the family all his life.Many generations of his family has served before him and he must continue to do so,carry on their legacy.The family of the Kindom of Devigarh itself has mysteries that keeps echoing throughout the film.Eklavya has sworn to protect the family no matter what.He also protects some of the secrets that can never be spread throughout the Kindom.Until,one night,the Queen of the Kindom dies,besides her is her mourning husband.This starts the doubts and accusations within the family.The Queen's Son,Prince Harshwardhan(Khan) arrives to take responsibility of the family.But there are other things going on in the palace.Slowly,one mystery after another pops up and secrets are revealed,and as the story progresses we see more and more people dying because of the secrets.Putting Eklavya into a painful position and come to terms with the happenings and the truths about this family's dark history.EKLAVYA is an intriguing period piece.It blends ancient settings with modern lifestyle.Giving the film a unique look.The film functions like a thriller,but focusing more on melodrama and characters,that aren't well written.And it's a well made drama that borderlines on melodrama.But the film has flaws,especially in the second half and by the time it ends,it feels incomplete.It's a relatively short film by Bollywood standards and I was more than surprised.Not only did it manage to tell an engrossing story but also wrapped it up with style with its short length.And the best thing is that it's devoid of songs,only one song throughout the film.But,I guess,because the story is wrapped around an epic setting,it needed a longer running time to develop the plot and characters more.Some of the characters were weak and not well written,some of their back stories are never told and leaves a lot to be desired.First half or so into the movie,you are hooked and quite entertained,but after the interval,the film slowly drags,since the plot becomes weak and it's going in one direction; so there isn't much to tell.Subplots are added to compensate the running time.In other words,it could've trimmed a little more of the length and finished it quickly.That would've made the film perfect.But it gets boring as it drags the story and adds subplot and makes the whole of second half contrived.But the third act,which is the big revelation of who is behind the whole scenario,somewhat pays off with satisfaction.Praise the Director who manages to keep the story afloat,which could've been worse.The whole movie could've been worse if it were handled by someone else.But the Director impresses you with his visual presentation of the story and keep you entertained.His script might be flawed but he succeeds in good storytelling,which is rare in Bollywood. But what he should be thanking most is the film's Cinematography,which elevates the material and gives a bold and rich look to the film.And some impressive set design and costumes,with able score.However,what really keeps this film afloat is the acting.Each and every actor deserves equal recognition.They all have a part to play and they all help in move the story forward.You can't just give out all the praises to Bachchan alone.He was terrific,but the other actors allowed him to emote the character well.But,of course,Mr.Bachchan's performance is the strength of the film.His silence and his eyes says more than his words.I've never liked this actor and thought he was yet another over-hyped Bollywood actor,like any other.But after watching him in this,I understand why people worship him.But I still thought he could've done a little better.Saif Ali Khan was quite competent and gives a good supporting performance,but his character doesn't allows him to do much.This guy has the looks and moves of a good actor.Sanjay Dutt was just great in his small part.Booman Irani's character was flawed as well,and his acting sometimes goes from over the top to annoying.But if that's what his character was supposed to be,than he succeeds.He manages to make his character dark enough to be impressed.Jackie Shroff , Jimmy Shergil as well as the beautiful Vidya Balan have little to do and wouldn't really comment on them.On the whole,this is an ambitious piece of work that could've been better.But for what it is,it's a fine example that Bollywood is capable of making good movies,only if they try.And I hope they keep making films like these.I would like to see more of it in the future.This, with films like Black Friday, proves that Bollywood is learning, and improving but they have yet to learn a lot to be able to compete at a world class level. However,Indian audiences opt for mindless junks or poorly made films like Dhoom 2 or Guru than appreciating films like this one.Reducing the chances of making films like Eklavya .I wouldn't recommend this film to be sent as an entry to the Oscars,Black Friday deserves that position.But it wouldn't hurt if they send it.This film goes to my list of only a handful of Bollywood films that I've enjoyed.B-, 3/5 , 7/10

Vidhu Vinod Chopra has seemed to me in recent times to be a better film-marketer/producer than a film-maker, thanks to his marketing genius none of his recent films have ever received a low rating. Also he has a great eye for untapped potential (backing the likes of Saif , Nana Patekar, Vidya Balan when they were around but never stars and Sanjay Dutt who was giving one flop after the other till Munnabhai came along).His weakest movies are the ones which involve stars at the top (mission Kashmir, 1942 ) and Eklavya suffers from the same fate.Now if we consider this movie like an Auto-rickshaw (for the uninitiated it has 3 wheels) then ...THE REAR WHEEL.The first thing that struck me and everyone else too was the fabulous cinematography, its easily one of the most visually pleasing movies to come out in recent times, but is the effort really that good Rajasthan is one (if not the) of the most beautiful places in India, anyone who has visited will tell you that its any camera lovers nightmare as you can easily polish of a reel or 2 in a day even ordinary photographs of the palaces look spectacular, in any case this movie is my candidate for cinematography next year.Technically in all aspects to this movie is extremely sound with great sound, computer graphics, etc.The editing is slightly patchy but I don't think that has anything to do with the editor.So on the all important Technical Aspects this film is near perfect and like brand new, perfectly balanced wheel and tyre.THE OTHER REAR WHEEL.The acting in this movie is superb all around, there were a couple of scenes that were over-acted, but other that everyone including Boman, Amitabh, Saif were great.Special mention to Jackie who despite being a mighty fine actor and looker has been reduced to character roles, I really wish he goes back to playing a more central character in films.A wheels go this one is like the most expensive alloy wheel with run-flat tyres even.THE FRONT WHEEL.Anyone who experienced punctures in a four wheeler will tell you that a puncture in any of the front tyres will immediately affect your car while a car may go on four kilometers with a rear flat.If a movie is to be compared to an auto-rickshaw this spot will definitely go to the script.And this tyre (script) has not deflated but burst.The characters are so badly written that in the end you have nothing but contempt for all of them, you actually end up feeling bad for the so called bad guys,THIS MOVIE IS LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE OF THE CONCEPT BEHIND ADOPTION.There is so little content in the film that even the extremely short film (by Indian standards) of 105 minutes seems like running forever, to add to it there are a number of over the top scenes (no fault of the actors), including the choking scene (at first I thought I had the dirty mind), and the Sholay scene.Picking out faults in the script and the plot will take days, even if you are able to digest AMITABH BACHANS SUPERHUMAN POWERS.THE RESULT Is exactly like what it would be if one the tyres of your rickshaw were to burst and had no other option but to ride it out till the end of your journey.Your trip would be a slow excruciating one once the tyre burst and would involve frequent veering of the course.You sat in a mighty fine rickshaw that looked superb (thanks to the cast), was famous (thanks to the Bentleys given as gifts), had a great engine (some of the names besides vidhu in the film crew have great talent), had great wheels, BUT HAD BAD MUSIC.But halfway through the ride you realise that your tyre has burst you have no spare and you have no option but to continue on the slow bumpy ride, the only consolation being that the ride is not long as you expect.Only recommended if you are a big fan of amitabh, bored, and willing to watch a movie that has lots of glitz and glam but no substance.Watching the matinée on screen is recommended to enjoy the visuals,a large screen TV (on DVD) will just about do but cable is a no-no.I for one would not encourage that we fall pray to such gimmicks and encourage more ordinary films in India.+s FINALLY AN ORIGINAL FILM +1 FOR THAT ONLY, SUPERB ACTING, SUPERB TECHNICALLY,short length.+/-s only one or 2 songs, hardly any romance.-s EXTREMELY WEAK SCRIPT AND RELATED ASPECTS (plot holes, super amitabh, predictable, some over the top scenes etc etc).total 5/10 (includes one for originality 2 each for acting and technical aspects didn't minus marks because after an hour i knew i was screwed but had enjoyed the movie till then plus this movie has many scenes that looked great and even though they were low on content managed to hold your attention)

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.