Disappointed. - Eklavya (2007) Discussion

woofy,

i agree with everything u say. too slow but the performances were awesome!

(¯`v´¯)
.`·.¸.·´
¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´thanks for reading!

reply

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

It's good, not great. "Masala-fed" or not, people have every valid right to like or dislike a film. Personally, I quite agree with Wooofy's assertion: "Eklavya" looks great, sounds great, and has a few powerful moments; but, as a whole, it drags a little too often (which is an odd thing to say about a movie [a Hindi movie, nonetheless] that's not even two hours in length).

reply

[–] big_malique 17 years ago

dude seriously how long could a movie of 90 minutes "drag" for??
this movie doesn't drag it builds on you

look, if you're a fan of "on topic movies" you will like it, the way a subject is presented is important I agree.
I'm not a frequent watcher of indian movies because I don't like the whole love theme there is in almost every hindi movie. I did like Kal ho na ho and Khabie alvida nah kehna, because they were presented in a way I never had seen before.
I live in Belgium and I often watch US made movies, so when I did go and watch this movie, because the promo trailer was spectacular, I wasn't disappointed at all, even though I didn't get my hopes up this movie blew me away. Just because the way it was brought to me. The thing I really liked was, that when you watch a US movie the story doesn't split up in different little stories the topic remains and they build it out. And that's exactly what this movie does.
The way the movie builds the charachters grow on you, amitahb's performance is great and saif did an OK job, sunjay and jackie shroff were out of this world, they truly showed me that there are actors who deserve to be named in a same breath with all time greats like dilip, amir khan and shahrukh.
For the people who could sit down and watch a three hour movie with abishek in the starring roll falling in love with someone, you can surely sit down and watch a movie about a culture and it's manners, I even recommended this one to my belgian friends, so they could see my culture.
Not a frequent watcher of Indian movies you could compare my opinion to that of any person who doesn't watch hindi movies all too often.
But the only way to find out is just go and watch it for yourself.
It's surely not a waist of your money I'll garantuee you that.

reply

[–] ajax_singh 17 years ago

I think Eklavya is one of the very superior products to have come out of Hindi Film Industry. It doesn't follow conventions, and thats where its elevateed to a work that can be presented abroad without any embarassment. And then, its also original.

I loved it. And today I found that LA Times and New York Times agree too... Read it

http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-guard16feb16,0,2692766.story

http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/movies/16roya.html

reply

[–] trigger_jam 17 years ago

"I think Eklavya is one of the very superior products to have come out of Hindi Film Industry. It doesn't follow conventions, and thats where its elevateed to a work that can be presented abroad without any embarassment. And then, its also original.

I loved it. And today I found that LA Times and New York Times agree too... Read it

http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-guard16feb16,0,2692766.story

http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/movies/16roya.html"; - by Ajax_singh

Now I do agree with Eklavya being an original venture and for that reason it can't be compared with the run-of-the-mill nonsense rolled out by bollywood 3x a week. With that in mind, it has to be compared to other movies of its type namely, Dharm and Gandhi My Father. And frankly, Eklavya pales in comparison to these two movies. The fact that it is original doesn't make the movie superior.

I'm not suggesting it is absolute crap because it has some positive points in the form of performances, photography and directing. In the script and to that point in the execution of it [directing] is where it is found lacking. At the end, the movie isn't really offering anything profound, although the performances make you feel that it should. Particularly the ending was very casual compared to the entire movie and it felt alien to the whole movie. I firmly believe it could've ended more poignantly.

reply

[–] KongKongAGAIN 17 years ago

That was sort of my point: In a film that's 107 (not 90) minutes long — in one that's being advertised as somewhat a "modern-day action thriller concerned with the customs of the past" — I'd expect things to be intelligent, but to move at a swift, gripping pace. Several moments in "Eklavya" felt to me, however, slow, repetitious, and even boring. If it matters, I very much liked "Kal Ho Naa Ho," but quite disliked "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna," though I won't get into why, because I don't think it would be appropriate for me to do so in this thread. I don't feel that "Eklavya" is a "bad" movie — not by any means; I just wish it had been "great," which is a level I don't feel it managed to hit.

reply

[–] WoooFy 17 years ago

I think they marketed it the wrong way... In all the interviews by the director and the stars, and the trailers, they made it appear as though it was a tight action thriller, but the movie hardly has 1-2 action scenes.
Again, I don't think its a bad movie at all, but its just not gripping enough to fit into the genre it shows to be.

Yeh jeena bhi koi jeena hai lallu!

reply

[–] hutch_get 17 years ago

WHAT WAS IT????

reply

[–] AmitabhBachchan1942 17 years ago

Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s EKLAVYA-The Royal Guard which released on Friday 16th February has been getting rave reviews from across the world. The LA Times called it the “Lost work of David Lean”. The Indian press has described it as …poetry on celluloid…masterpiece and …a must watch. The critical acclaims and rave reviews are matched by its box office collections.

The film saw a 109% jump in collections on day 2 in the North America a first for any Hindi film. Commenting on this enormous increase, Ken Naaz, Eros International says, “A good film usually gets a 30 % jump in collections due to word of mouth and good reviews. A very good film gets a 50-60% jump but with Eklavya we saw a 109% jump in collections on day 2, which is unprecedented and indicates its growing popularity.”

The box office collections in Mumbai have also been outstanding. The film superseded the collections of LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI which was a blockbuster hit. The Mumbai territory first day collections for EKLAVYA are Rs. 1.78 crores, 35% more than the Rs 1.32 crores of LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI. The first three day collections of EKLAVYA are approaching over Rs. 5.5 crores, which is same as the blockbuster hit LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI’s first three day collections.

reply

[–] WoooFy 17 years ago

Collections dont make a film good or bad. Dhoom 2 was the biggest hit of last year but for any sane person, it wouldn't feature in their list of best movies of the year.

Yeh jeena bhi koi jeena hai lallu!

reply

[–] KongKongAGAIN 17 years ago

I mostly liked "Dhoom 2," and, being a huge action-entertainer, it makes sense that it was 2006's largest grosser.

Now, 2004's "No Entry" going on to be the biggest hit of that year... not all is well in the land of Oz.

reply

[–] harsh_patel87 17 years ago

I was Not disappointed at all, i loved the movie, every shot, every frame of it. Every frame was just beautiful to look at i havnt seen any bollywood movie so far which i loved as i loved this movie. Amitabh did an excellent job, excellent is an understatement for me. I dont think the movie dragged it was good and it wasnt even full two hours like typical movie. For some reason while watching this movie i couldnt help it to think that on paper you can compare this with tragadies of shakespear.

reply

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] momo-mirza 17 years ago

I didn't look at the trailers so I don't know how it was advertised, but it wasn't a "modern-day action thriller". I did find it a little slow and dragging probably because I didn't expect it to be (considering it's content). It starts out amazing but there are parts in the middle that just make you think "Shakespeare copycat". The climax comes pretty close to the end so there are parts where you are totally confused. Regardless, it is a movie worth watching. The acting is SUPERB...Amitabh, Saif, Boman, Vidya in that order for me. The costumes and set designs are beautiful and expressed really well too. If you're debating whether to watch it or not, WATCH IT!

reply

[–] rainbowvibes85 17 years ago

I thought the movie was brilliant but could have been perfect...I agree it's too slow even though the film duration is short!

The settings and designs was magical, the acting was spectular....but something was missing, maybe more depth should have been put in the past response but I have to say I loved how the beginning got right into the whole point of the plot rather than in the middle...really engaging

Oh and the ending was pretty sketchy but neverthless one of the best movies to come out of Bollywood

Mother *beep* Are you out of your damn mind?! : Blade (1998)

reply

[–] RRHowell41 14 years ago

Shakespeare copycat??? NO!!! Very deliberate, very calculated, references to Shakespeare, designed to make you think Shakespeare, so that you recognized, "Hey, this is a bit like Hamlet, but wait, no, it's not quite like Hamlet. Queen vs. King dying. Letter vs. Ghost. We kill our girlfriend's father, but she's not crazy and she doesn't commit suicide. Instead, if anything, she is the most sane person around (or one of them). Ooh look, Titus Andronicus reference flying by." I loved that aspect of the movie.

Made me show it to my theater-loving kids, who are not big Bollywood fans, and they enjoyed it too.

reply

[–] muthyala 17 years ago

This movie starts good. But turns into a comedy mid-way. The ending is utter crap where Saif acknowledges the Royal Guard as ...

This is nothing to do with Masala movies. I am an avid GOOD movie enthusiast and I don't like any of these Bharjatya's, Yash Chopra's movies either. I was looking forward for this movie from VVC. Guess VVC should go back to producing movies (like parineeta, Munna I, II & III) and not touch direction again.

reply

[–] calhobbes99 17 years ago

I wish they had not cut the movie into 100 odd minutes. the scenes seemed disjointed and the story was too jumpy. i love 3 hour hindi movies :)! and the song and dance too. All the actors would have been justified by more screen time.

reply

[–] cosette89 17 years ago

Can someone tell me if it is worth watching cos i'm really bored and wanna watch something exciting..

reply

[–] WoooFy 17 years ago

Exciting, it sure isn't. Watch Black Friday if you haven't seen that.

Yeh jeena bhi koi jeena hai lallu!

reply

[–] cosette89 17 years ago

BUt its got something to do with terrorism rite?

reply

[–] KongKongAGAIN 17 years ago

I haven't yet seen it, but I think "Black Friday" is concerned with the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts.

reply

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] colour-me-kubrick 17 years ago

totally agree.Anurag kashyap is greatness in making

last seen:-
eraserhead(9/10)
little miss sunshine(7.5/10)

reply

[–] cosette89 17 years ago

But it isnt running in the theatres here. I thk i'll go watch eklavya or perhaps that honeymoon travels pt. ltd.

reply

[–] amit_slash2000 17 years ago

Black Friday sure is a knockout movie with absolute stunning performances from all side... Makes u really think dat hindi movies DO have dat potential to engross you with CONTENT!!

reply

[–] Anwar_Puttarjee 17 years ago

The film was disappointing indeed. I expected a great story, especially because Vidhu Vinod Chopra was so passionate about this one. I read somewhere that he wanted to make this in the 80s. Maybe it would've worked backed then, but the story is too average for me to like it. Apart from the story, I felt that most of the characters weren't well-written. Also, there were many scenes which made no sense in the movie at all. The movie start on a great note, then it becomes boring, and the ending is absolutely disappointing.

I must say I'm getting used to being disappointed by a VVC-film.

reply

[–] axl-rose-2 17 years ago

One of the most over hyped movies of all time for me. It was slow and the the narrative was boring. The promos promised action scenes etc but there were just two ... and not great ones at that. Infact the first one where boman dies is a bit stupid ... the bullet came in from the driver's window and killed the driver and our eklavya gets out of the car and runs towards the left ... as far as i knew india still had right hand drive!

damn i cant figure out if its a really bad movie or am i feeling this way because of the hype ... raima sen was irritating, vidya balan is wasted as is sanjay dutt ... verdict: boring disaster

reply

[–] soups25 17 years ago

It's a great movie with amazing photography, brilliant performances, a tight script without a single flaw. Critics here and in America have been raving about it.

reply

[–] trigger_jam 17 years ago

Photography and locals were probably the best part of this movie. Performances would come second. The film was indeed disappointing because, like you said, in the end it said very little. Must also add, that I didn't quite like the ending at all.

reply

[–] SpectralWolf 16 years ago

The movie was superbly photographed, directed, and acted. The story was good, but for all its lavish production values, the plot was a bit thin and the character development suffered.

A lot of the character traits were implied rather than explicitly stated (except for Amitabh's character). The resolution at the end was too quick and convenient. Also, Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff, 2 great actors were relegated to small supporting roles. Their characters could've definitely been fleshed out even more.

In short, this was a very good movie, but could've been a lot better.

reply