Lack of good storyline.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Blistering performances.

excellent acting by Amitab Bachan Saif Ali Khan and cameo role by Raima Sen. Vidya balan is wasted. the cutting and editing is very good. But the story is nothing to do with Ekalavya except for some mambo jumbo of Dharma. The foreign audience cannot even understand the Puranic concept of Dharma. I saw somewhere "dalit history". where is the history of dalits come here. I do not think any queen would have allowed a Dalit to impregnate daughter in law. This is unrealistic even though politically correct. Besides in a feudal society a Dalit would not have become a Royal guard. This is not Dalit History in a feudal ambiance.At the same time the story is interesting and the final twist is somewhat reasonable though little melodramatic.

A lot of critics recommended Eklavya if you liked Guru or Omkara. But I didn't like them at all and I rented Eklavya because there was no other film that looks good to watch. I thought that it would just turn out to be another disposable movie but it didn't.The film had an amazing story told in a very neat way about a royal guard of a rich family who is also like a family member and is going to avenge the murder of his master. It had an excellent blend of emotional drama & thriller; the most emotional scene was when Eklavya met Saif Ali Khan for the first time.The best scene of the whole film was when Eklavya was blindfolded and threw his knife at a flying dove with a bell tied to its foot and managed to cut off the bell without hurting the dove, later he caught the bell before it fell into the water. Also shows that he has poor eyesight but has really good hearing.The casting was great and Amitabh Bachchan is simply the No 1 in Bollywood, he was the best throughout the whole film and he never fails to impress. Running length is small but it was better that way because it's like a story telling film that starts to get boring after 2 hours but it was 1 hour 40 minutes, which was better. Unlike Guru which was 2.5 hours and could of been cut down to half.Overall it is an absolute beautiful film and a must see. Although it was flopped at box office but was critically acclaimed and might be nominated for an Oscar because it certainly does deserves it. I couldn't see a single mistake in the film also it doesn't have a single useless scene and the ending was perfect. There was only 1 song "Chanda Re" which was a very nice, light and heartfelt song.

Best film this year. Indian Cinema at its best.If its said a "lost film by David Lean"-It deserves it. Vidhu Vinod Chopra-Two Thumbs up-This man is our hope.No words to describe this film. A modern day masterpiece. Vidhu Vinod Chopra's best. Breathtaking performances from Big B, Saif, Boman, Jackie, Sanjay, Vidya etc. Superb music and score and wonderful cinematography and locales not to forget the awe inspiring visual effects. In the years to come will be remembered as a CLASSIC. This is a poem on celluloid. Shakespeare nestling in the sands of Rajathan. This piece of work would have made Shakespeare smile broadlyA must watch for Cinema Lovers. EKlavya-a Royal TREAT!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOME of the most revered names in the Hindi movie industry come together on screen? Magic? Nah…try again. Explosion? Maybe…but the word I am looking for is – class. The defining part of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's latest venture 'Eklavya' is just that – class.OK so we have seen it all, you say. Several neat examples of well made decent and classy pictures does come to mind from the recent past – Khosla ka ghosla et al. But what makes 'Eklavya' a tad different is just one name – Amitabh Bachchan. Never have I seen an actor who said so much just by looking at you with those emotion filled eyes. Never have I been witness to a performance that relied so heavily on the magnitude of silence. Amitabh delivers this to a standing ovation.'Eklavya' is proof, as if 'Black' wasn't a slap-in-the-face Amitabh is just getting warmed up after three decades example, that he is indeed a legend. When I saw Amit effortlessly slip into the role of an aging royal guard who has nothing left to guard this crumbling royal family from, I wondered about what a genius we have amongst us. I thanked the Almighty for having given us such a gifted talent who has stuck with our stereotypical masala fare for so many long years. Bravo – Mr. Director – for showing us Amitabh in a whole other frame.So what is the movie about? The script relies heavily on the mystery that tends to revolve around every royal family in the world. The secrets, the lies, the deceits that hide behind the smiling regal chins who make their appearances in public with a fly swatter for company. We have the old royal guard Eklavya who is mourning the recent demise of the queen mother Suhasini Devi (Sharmila Tagore). She is married to a cynical, insecure and borderline insane king father, as it were, Rana Jaywardhan (Boman Irani). Mystery begins to creep its ugly head the moment the king willingly strangles the queen on her death bed. We begin to wonder – hmm…I wonder why he did that. A few heartbeats later as Eklavya comes running to her aid we begin to connect the dots.The relationships are unearthed in true Vidhu Chopra style during the next few frames as we look at one ugly facet after another of this royal bunch. Enter Harshwardhan (Saif Ali Khan) from London who is home to finish the final rites of his beloved mother's mortal remains. We also meet his childhood sweetheart Rajeshwari (Vidya Balan) whose soul aches for the prince's attention. Somewhere in this mix of players we have Mr. Unafraid-to-speak-to-royalty-with-an-attitude Pannalal Chohaar (Sanjay Dutt) who is the local DSP and supposedly law enforcer. We also get a glimpse of scheming royal cousin Udaywardhan (Jimmy Shergill) and his equally sadistic father and the king's brother Jyotiwardhan (Jackie Shroff).My my! What an impressive line up, isn't it? And indeed they all do complete justice with the tight one hour and forty five minutes of total screen time for this feature. One neatly placed lullaby for a song and 'Eklavya' is completely focused on the unearthing the various good, bad and ugly sides to the castle and it's king.I will save you the pain of glorifying the performances since it is to be seen. I will also save you the trouble to read through my rendition of the cinematography and lens work as it is to be experienced. I will definitely spare you the bane of having to wonder why 'Eklavya' confirms quality in Indian cinema as it is to be understood and more importantly appreciated.