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Home > Bollywood Movie Reviews > Ekalavya The Royal Guard Ambitious Fare From Chopra APK | February 17, 2007 Rating: *** (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad)
 Vidhu Vinod Chopra's latest, Ekalavya starring Amitabh Bachchan, is one of the most anticipated movies of this year. With all the hype and media coverage on it, from the script which took almost a decade to write to the Rolls-Royce which Chopra presented the Big B with. Now audiences are bound to flock in, but it is what one calls a 'niche' film.But deliberately so. Which other filmmaker would have 2 minutes of complete darkness on screen with only dialogues? Only someone who is madly in love with his own idea, his own vision of the movie he is making. The madness and the love comes through, but the script is flawed and the pace slow. Still Ekalavya is worth the time, even if it is just for the understated performances and the over-hyped action sequences that Bachchan performs. Plot Rana Jayawardhan (Boman Irani) is feudal king in Rajasthan, whose queen Rani Suhasini Devi (Sharmila Tagore) dies chanting the name of Ekalavya (Amitabh Bachchan), the royal guard. This infuriates the King and he holds a grudge against Ekalavya, while the guard dutifully tries to protect the inhabitants of the castle. Inside it is Nandini (Raima Sen), who is the mentally challenged twin of Harshwardhan (Saif Ali Khan). Harsh comes home from London for his mother's funeral, and reads a letter that she writes to him before she dies. Everything changes with this letter, which reveal to him shocking facts about himself; and a painting that his sister makes that reveals the truth about his mother's death. Putting these two together, Harsh follows his own 'Dharma' to set the wrongs right in the castle.  Story, Screenplay and Direction The Royal Guard is impressive. It is a movie that had a large vision and medium scope. There is a movie of actions, then there is a movie full of reactions. Ekalavya falls into the latter category, where the performances by all the artistes dominate the actual script. The script itself had potential, but one may feel the promos deceive. The huge scale, action sequences and visual treats are restricted to a few crucial moments. While a star may not be able to save a ship half-sunk, an actor can do so. And that is where actors like the Big B, Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan come in.One might say there are 'immoral' aspects in the movie-but that's the fact of how certain kingdoms ran. The issue of progeny, the fight with the farmers for land among others. The dedication of the royal guard towards his king is at the same time, both alluring and typically orthodox. The movie begins well, and has a feel-good ending especially with Sanjay Dutt's entry. Some of the scenes tend to be melodramatic, but thankfully have a restrained feel to them. As a story, it works out well, but slows down at times. The scene where Harsh and Ekalavya meet for the first time, the scene where Chopra uses the pigeons yet again in his movies, and Dutt's ironical humor are the highlights of the movie. Apart from that, the scene where Ekalavya strives to protect the king is well-shot.  Performances Bachchan stands out in the movie, possibly one of his best performances recently. It was not loud, and extremely subtle and understated. Same with Saif Ali Khan, who gives a controlled performance, and looks fully convincing as the Prince Harshwardhan. Vidya Balan has a short role, but makes her presence felt.Sanjay Dutt is fab, as is Boman Irani who does the complex character of Rana Jayawardhan really well. Sharmila Tagore is hardly seen, but she still has a screen persona that makes an impression. Raima Sen is extremely talented and gives life and soul to the character of Nandini. Jackie Shroff makes a villainous entry, suiting his personality and demeanor while Jimmy Shergill as his son stands his own even in scenes with the Big B. Music The background score elevates the moment, and takes the scene and the characters to another level. 'Chanda Re' is a sweet number. Last Word This is a movie that has a grand vision, but somewhere it does not reach its full potential. It is dark, but beautifully so. Yes, at times, it is pretentious and slightly superficial. So the verdict? Worth a watch for those interested in a little variety. The standard non-conformist in Vidhu Chopra must be beaming. | ||