Masand's Verdict: Eklavya

TALE OF HONOUR: Eklavya all set within the walls of a majestic fort in Rajasthan.

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Direction: Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani, Sanjay Dutt

This week's big new Bollywood release, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Eklavya is a tale of honour and duty and palace intrigue, and its all set within the walls of a majestic fort in Rajasthan.

The royal family still lives here, but with no kingdom to rule. Yet the royal guard Eklavya -- played by Amitabh Bachchan -- has only one mission. Like nine generations before him, he lives only to protect the king, his family and the fort. When the queen passes away, her son, the prince, Saif Ali Khan who's been living in London, returns to the palace, but only to discover a shocking truth that has been kept away from him since birth. Meanwhile, Saif's father, the king, Boman Irani under the influence of his conniving brother Jackie Shroff, turns a blind eye towards the injustice meted out to his people.

There's chaos in the palace halls as jealousy, betrayal and murder take over, and closely-guarded secrets come tumbling out of everywhere.

Despite the fact that it's an entirely original plot, and that Chopra chooses such an original backdrop against which he unfolds his story, you have to admit, his screenplay doesn't have that "grab value" that's required to hold your attention.

At least two of the film's big surprises turn out to be predictable and the film's central debate is just too weak. According to Hindu mythology, Eklavya the archer unhesitatingly cut off his thumb as a fee to his teacher, and Chopra's film questions that act of Eklavya's.

But problem is, the screenplay fails miserably in building up this conflict. In fact, the screenplay plods along lazily and wastes too much time on Saif and Vidya Balan's romance.

In virtually every department other than script, Chopra's Eklavya is a work of art. Magnificent sets, picture-postcard cinematography, haunting score and remarkable performances by lead players. It's a pity the story just doesn't hold.