A dream of 30 years and a script that took five years to get the final shape and return to big screen after seven years is the latest offing from ace director Vidhu Vinod Chopra who has filmed 'Khamosh', 'Parinda' and '1942 A Love Story' in the past. During the last few years he also gave chance to budding directors like Pradeep Sarkar and Raj Kumar Hirani to make films like 'Parineeta' and two episodes of 'Munna Bhai'.
But, there was a debacle after a string of flops like 'Mission Kashmir' and 'Kareeb' from Vidhu. Vidhu got Amitabh to direct but so did directors like Ravi Chopra in 'Babul', Raj Kumar Santoshi in 'Family' and Apoorva Lakharia in 'Ek Ajnabee'. Vidhu sums up his efforts of five years in 12 reels to make a film that is less than two hours in duration. He gets a string of history of Rajasthan; sprinkles some spices of the Mahabharat era, take a good team of technicians but ends up leaving viewers asking for more ( Mange More).
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I often wonder why Hindi Cinema directors don't think about something ordinary for aging super star Amitabh Bachchan! He has failed in the past in 'Mrityudata', 'Toofan', 'Jadugar', and 'Lal Badshah', only because all scripts revolved around him by showing him as a larger than life character. He was all right for such roles till the time of 'Shahenshah'. But, he is unable to come close to a generation that has seen a lot on celluloid by now.
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This generation cannot be fooled with special effects and visual gimmickry. Besides, there is need for a good story and an equally nice narration. Posing himself as a thinker/ filmmaker, Vidhu has done a lot of harm to himself as a director. He is the best in what he is; he is full of energy as shown in 'Khamosh' and 'Parinda'. But, Vidhu wants to hide this energy; pretends to be a subtle filmmaker and this is not what he is.
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Amitabh Bachchan still sells like hot cake at the box office, but for this you need to give him a subtle role. He can infuse energy in other chracters but cannot become one. He can be a catalyst to a chain reaction of events, but he can no more take burden of completing the super hero's task. He is too old now to do this. 'Eklavya' is a film that presents him as a leading man once again and once you make a film with a hero like Amitabh doing title role, you have got to be very careful.
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'Eklavya's problem lies in trying to defy the so often heard 'Eklavya's story. You cannot change history just by one film. 'Eklavya' starts with Amitabh narrating the original 'Eklavya' story in background. He is named so by his mother because he has to guard Rana (Boman Irani) of the kingdom after his father's demise. He does so with honesty. He accompanies Queen (Sharmila Tagore) to the pilgrimage. Queen's mother-in-law is looking for a saint who can make the Queen pregnant, as her son is impotent.
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'Eklavya' does this job finally and the secret is let loose by Queen before her death to her son Harsh (Saif Ali Khan). Harsh also comes to know that Rana had killed her mother, too. He vouches for revenge and decides to save the life of 'Eklavya'. But 'Eklavya' thinks otherwise and kills Rana's brother and nephew. The whole drama ends with 'Eklavya' uniting with his son and all his sins are covered by a ruffian police officer (Sanjay Dutt) who keeps on oscillating from being a DSP to an Inspector in the film.
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If interested, go watch the film, but at your own risk! Because Vidhu Vinod Chopra opens his cards too early and what is left after this is just to hold the viewer's interest with some silly sequences. The pace slows down again and again and he tries to build it up time and again. He gets good help from cinematographer S Natrajan Subramaniam who captures sand dunes, Sunrise, Sunset and thunderstorms of Rajasthan too well in his camera. Tinu Verma comes in between to pump up your adrenaline with some good piece of stunt choreography, too. Swanand Kirkire tries to weave in few good lines. But, the overall effects are still demanding more.
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Sanjay Dutt does a very good cameo as DSP and makes people watch him seriously. He gets some of the best witty lines for his role that requires a very subtle form of acting. Meeting him shoulder to shoulder is the movie's lead man Saif Ali Khan. But, he gets a role that has more to think and less to act. A hero cannot be a planner; he has to be an actioner at least in a film that is set in a princely atmosphere.
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Vidya Balan and Reema Sen get equal footage but their acting skill is hidden. They don't even get a single solo scene to show their caliber. Better seems to be Parikshit Sahni. And, last but the most important thing is that Amitabh Bachchan's role is not a straight one; it has to undergo a lot of transition from scene to scene. He has to be a royal guard, a behind the veil lover, a caring father, an excellent sharp shooter. And, all this gets clouded because of the shoddy narration of the story.
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He is at risk of losing his sheen in the cinema. He has seen big flops like 'Ek Ajnabee' and 'Baabul' in the recent past. 'Nishabd' has also failed to create excitement. Is Vidhu Vinod Chopra planning a film Talisman with Amitabh, based on Devki Nandan Khatri's novel 'Chandrakanta'? After all, he shows its trailer with 'Eklavya'. But, no one whistles or claps while watching the trailer. Has the last over of the last innings of mega star of Hindi Cinema just begun? If you ask me, my answer is in affirmative.
