So many reviews, so little time...

Any stray readers may have noticed tall promises of upcoming attractions on this website, in terms of reviews and criticisms, which have not been fulfilled lately. There is a reason, a valid reason and it is, in the Beatle boys's words "I've been working like a dog". But nuff said about that.

I had been waiting with a great deal of expectation for "Eklavya" to release, since the first trailers started getting aired. It has a cast thats stellar, especially now that Saif and Vidya have definitely emerged as actors, not just stars. And I caught the first day first show (only show really what with US theaters charging twice the money for a single showing of Hindi movies) of this movie last Friday.

The story is pretty much available and known, so I'll get straight to my rants and raves.

Firstly, there is a lot going for this movie. The previously mentioned stellar cast is truly magnificent. But unexpectedly, its not primarily AB who runs the show. If anything, this movie is his least showy and screen-grabbing performance of recent years. I have also come to the conclusion that this man is not capable (anymore, i should add) of giving a poor performance. His every move, his every gesture suggests a man at the pinnacle of his craft, be it a quite moment of silent sorrow, or a room-wrecking, studio-shaking expression of heart-breaking grief. Its a great performance, but not his best. I think Sanjay Leela Bhansali still owes AB a Rolls-Royce for his turn in "Black".

From the previous para, it might be apparent that there is a lot more melancholy in this movie than hilarity. In fact the few moments of light-heartedness are provided by Sanjay Dutt as the local police chief, and even those moments are laced with some black humour. Which brings me back to the cast.

The high-point of this movie is its character actors. Let me start with the one who has recieved the least celebrity, Parikshit Sahani, who plays the aging chauffeur to Boman Irani's the Rana of Devigarh (as Sanjay Dutt admirably points out, he is a King only in name and does not have any kingly powers). The casual camaraderie between the aging chauffeur and the aging bodyguard is portrayed subtly and is very believable. Their conversation reflects the slow pace of life in rural India and provides the character actors with a good stage for their skills. Raima Sen is also showing up in some pretty neat performances and here she plays the mentally handicapped daughter of the Rana. Jimmy Shergill and Jackie Shroff play the Rana's scheming relatives with wonderful cameos. I thought Jackie's use of his voice was fantastic, showing that this is an actor Bollywood has wasted. In a scene where he shows his frustration at being the younger brother of the Rana than the Rana himself, the only thing that changes about Jackie is his voice, and it portrays more than his face could have expressed. He has a tendency sometimes to ham, but is kept in rein through most of his performance by an able director. More on the director later, who also manages to draw an eccellent performance from Jimmy Shergill. Jimmy has probably always played likeable guys, but I always felt he has talent. And it shows here. To round out the supporting cast, there is Sanjay Dutt as the police officer who idolizes Eklavya, and comes from an "untouchable" background. And then there is Boman Irani. Boman is a first-rate actor and in a very short span of time, he has managed to wrest the juiciest character roles away from people like Paresh Rawal, Om Puri et al. He is not bad here either, but I felt he went a bit over the top here in a few scenes.

All this rambling i guess basically goes to say the performances are of a pretty high standard most of the time. Vidya and Saif are very good, and between them they probably came up with one of the most sensuous scenes in an Indian movie for a while. And no, they werent even anywhere close to a bed. Saif is excellent with his meaty role, and turns in a performance with a lot of restraint but also convincingly portrays the greyer shades of his character.

On to the other big, big star of the movie - the director, Vidhu Vinod Chopra. This is his first directorial venture since he flopped with "Kareeb". Cant really comment on that since I never see anything with Bobby Deol in it, unless it has Akshay Kumar also (by which I mean I saw Ajnabee). But VVC's comeback is nothing short of brilliant. "Eklavya" has no bigger star than the director. From the opening credits, which is one of the most original sequences in Indian movie history, to the sparse action sequences which use light, shadow and sound to great effect, the intrigue and the atmosphere of the fort, everything is done very well. There is even a sequence which I thought was a tip-of-the-hat to Quentin Tarantino and his Kill Bill movies. But the treatment is very Indian, and some of the decor's used are sumptuous. Notice the tiny details, like the paintings that Raima Sen makes, they show a lot of thought has gone in it.

The only gripe I really have with the movie is its ending. Obviously, I dont want to put any spoilers here, so see for yourself. But, I would still highly recommend this movie, but I'll also add its not for everyone. Dont go looking for a fun time, dont go looking for an action flick with camels. The camels only reflect the slow, melancholic pace of the movie, which is the better because there is a lot to savour about it.