Customer Reviews

Eklavya - The Royal Guard

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every once in a while I stumble across a great movie like this. Incredible character development. Eloquent dialog. Suspense. Emotion. The subtitles were translated crudley but the clever dialog still came thru. One key is that "Baba" means Father. That wasn't clear till later in the movie. Pay close attention to the dialog and all the double meanings. I would put this right up with Dr. Zhivago. I would buy a new copy if they can get a better translation. I rarely see movies I consider good, so this one really stands out.

This movie is sort of a gloss on Hamlet, Indian style. I thought it was beautifully shot and well-acted. The script is tight, and the only scene I didn't like was the improbable ending. There are stand-out performances from the usual reliables: Amitabh Bachnan, Imran Bomani, Saif Ali. I highly recommend it.

Eklavya reminds me so much of The Man in the Iron Mask: the plot of having the heir to the throne fathered by the most trusted bodyguard. While the stories are entirely different, I relished every moment watching the interaction between all the characters. Every single one of them light up the screen and embody their different characters so well that one forgets quite easily it's fiction. My favorite scene is when Jackie Shroff gets thrown over the a train track (don't want too give off to many details). I thought it was beautifully shot like every other scene and rather engaging. It's my favorite because it stands out to me the most. In Eklavya, the emotions, and elements of suspense are not lost. This is where I disagree with a previous reviewer. Eklavya is by no means mediocre.

Eklavya is a story of a royal guard who's faith lies in his duty to protect his master. The old man is played quite effortlessly well by Amitabh Bachchan. The storyline isn't engaging enough and a lot of viewers will complain of the same. The cinematography is beautiful but by the time the end hits you, you lose interest because somehow even though the characters try hard to emote their grief to you, you really do not care. There are few films in Indian Cinema to compare to this one. This film will wrongly be thought to be ahead of it's time and will appeal to a few select base of viewers. For fans of Bollywood, this is quite undewhelming. Watch this if only like me you must give every film a chance. I watched it because it was chosen for Oscars, I doubt it will win, it isn't very long so that doesn't hurt. Everyone of the actors chip in somehow but not one of those films you'd remember any of the great actors for.