I always look forward to a Vinod Chopra release. He’s one of the few directors who brings panache, flair & refeshing imagination to indian cinema. So when I realised VC was the director behind Eklavya I trotted off down to the local flicks to see if he could fulfill my trusted faith in his work. I have to say I was not dissapointed.**The opening 40 mins of this film is probably the most compulsive, gripping & stirring starts to a bollywood movie I have ever seen.
Again Vinod Chopra brings a story, setting & scintilating cinematography that is totally refreshing from the usual folly of bollywood fare. No massive glittering happy family dance sequences, no flimsy characters & routine performances. Since I’ve mentioned performances I have to say VC has managed to pull off something with Amitabh Bachan I’ve been waiting to see for a very long time. Guess what AB has got rid off that goatey beard & he’s not frolicking around with girls young enough to be his daughter. The biggest compliment I can pay to AB’s performance & Vinod Chopra’s handling off him is you forget it is Amitabh Bachan playing Eklavya. Make no mistake this is AB’s finest performance you will have ever seen in years if not his best ever. Understated, consistent & totally convincing as a royal servant, he should thank Vinod Chopra for giving him this role, hopefully AB will take heed & discard roles that do not befit his age & standing. The soundtrack to the movie is broody, moody & totally beguiling, which pretty much sums up this movie. This movie has poise, guile, style, depth, visual beauty , sincerity & seductive power rarely seen in bolywood movies. There are too many good scenes too mention but to mention one, the scene where Saif Ali Khan is asking his father to console him whilst mourning the loss of his mother sums up the movie, beautifully shot, performed & totally engrossing. Go see it if you want something more solid & fulfilling to the soul than the usual bollywood masala. **Vinod Chopra deserves all the plaudits that should come his way & all the ones that won’t. Eklavya won’t please everyone, but it will please those who search for originality & class.