Article Updated 21 February, 2007 11:51:32 PM IST   Eklavya - The Royal Guard By Prema K. ©2007 Bollyvista.com   The film is a case of 'all hype and no substance'. It's a major letdown. It starts off well and manages to get the viewers hooked on, although it moves at a snail's pace in some segments. Post-interval, just when you feel things are beginning to happen, it falls flat. That's 'Eklavya' for you, in a nutshell! The major problem with the film is that it's not something that will appeal to the masses. But we can't see the classes liking it either! The story- Eklavya (Amitabh Bachchan), the royal guard, lives only to protect Devigarh in Rajasthan. He's getting old and blind. The heir to the throne, Prince Harshwardhan (Saif Ali Khan), stays in London. The sudden death of his mother, Rani Suhasinidevi (Sharmila Tagore), forces him back to the kingdom. Harshwardhan's mentally challenged twin sister, Princess Nandini (Raima Sen) and his childhood love, Rajjo (Vidya Balan) are delighted to see him. There is unrest in the kingdom. The king, Rana Jaywardhan (Boman Irani), influenced by his brother, Rana Jyotiwardhan (Jackie Shroff), supports the cruelties being forced upon the helpless peasants. The king receives a death threat over the phone. Police Officer, Pannalal Chohar (Sanjay Dutt), comes to investigate. But it's of no use. Rana Jaywardhan is killed. Who killed him? That would be revealing things but one wonders why this treacherous act is performed. The film becomes a sort of thriller from this point. But like we've already mentioned, it's a letdown! The performances - Mr. Bachchan is in great form. Saif is brilliant in an underplayed and subtle performance. Sanjay Dutt is good in a brief role. Vidya Balan doesn't get much scope for performance. Boman Irani is miscast as the king. Jackie Shroff is first rate. Somehow he delivers a brilliant performance with this maker. Jimmy Sheirgill is brilliant in his first ever negative role. Raima Sen leaves a mark. We wonder whatever prompted Sharmila Tagore to do this cameo role. Overall, it's a film with a 30-minute short story that's been stretched over an hour and a half. The dialogues (sync sound) are not audible in places. The climax is a major letdown. What really hold the film together are the breathtaking visuals, courtesy cinematographer Natarajan Subramaniam, and Tinu Verma's stunts. The visuals are brilliant. But to give credit to the maker, the shot taking is superb. A few scenes really stand out; the ghungroo sequence, the sequence in which Boman Irani is shot dead, the killings of ----- (names blanked out). The box office fate of the film seems a little dicey. What might help the film is the dry films that released over the past two weeks. Let's wait and watch. ** (Two Stars) *poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent   close   Print this Article http://www.bollyvista.com   http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/7347