Eklavya

Eklavya is one more movie coming from the stables of Vidhu Vinod Chopra and it really deserves to be called one of the finest crafted movies in recent times. Having roped in a heavy starcast with the VC Banner regulars like Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan, et. al. as well as getting Amitabh Bachchan to work with him for the first time, he does bring out the best of all of them to narrate a story which took 5 years to write and was equally difficult to portray.
The story essentially portrays one of the Royal families in Rajasthan with no more dynasty and the secret behind how the lady of the family takes the help of their guard (Eklavya) to give birth to the next generation of the family. The revealing of this secret just before her death brings about a feeling of being cheated to her husband and sows the seeds of taking revenge for it. The director has shown great detail of creativity to create a scene as to how the secret is revealed to her son by the way of a painting by his twin sister (Raima Sen) who is mentally retarded by birth. And then starts the entire plot of how Eklavya keeps up the fight to keep up his duty of protecting the Royal family which otherwise would have resulted in ill-effects for the next few generations in his family.
Chopra’s direction is exemplary. He handles the material with maturity and also keeps the length in check, which is so vital these days. The visuals [cinematography: S. Natarajan Subramaniam] are superb. In fact, every frame looks like a painting on celluloid. Dialogues [Swanand Kirkire] accentuate the impact of several scenes. Stunts [Tinu Verma] are tremendous and expertly executed. The interiors of the palace [art: Nitin Desai] give the film an opulent look. The background score as well as the sole song ‘Chanda Re’ [Shantanu Moitra] are appropriate.
That Saif has evolved into a fine actor is known to all and sundry by now, we don’t need proof of it, especially after KAL HO NAA HO, EK HASINA THI, PARINEETA and OMKARA. Sanjay Dutt has a brief role, but he’s fantastic all through. Vidya Balan is superb yet again. There’s no stopping this actress! Boman Irani is first-rate in a negative role. Watch him interact with Sharmila Tagore in the very first scene and with Jackie subsequently to know the range of this gifted actor. Jimmy Shergill introduces you to a hitherto unknown facet of his talent. He excels in a negative role. Jackie Shroff gets a meaty role yet again in a Vidhu Vinod Chopra film. Raima Sen leaves a mark in a significant role. Sharmila Tagore exudes class in a cameo. Parikshit Sahni is efficient.