Eklavya-The Royal Guard

Entertainment Showbiz Pakistan , Bollywood & World Entertainment
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http://www.indiafm.com/movies/preview/12558/index.html
The cast and crew of Parineeta return in this movie.

http://i.indiafm.com/img/previews/07/eklavya1.jpg

Contemporary India. A majestic fort. A royal dynasty that no longer rules. A king without a kingdom.

Yet Eklavya [Amitabh Bachchan], their royal guard, lives in a time warp. He lives only to protect the fort, the dynasty and the king.

For nine generations, Eklavya’s family has protected Devigarh, a centuries old citadel in Rajasthan. His marksmanship is stuff of legends. His unflinching loyalty inspires ballads. Eklavya has spent his entire life serving the royals and closely guarding their secrets, but now he’s getting old and increasingly blind.

Unable to cope with the suffocating customs of his land, the heir, Prince Harshwardhan [Saif Ali Khan], has stayed away in London. But the sudden demise of the queen, Rani Suhasinidevi [Sharmila Tagore], forces the Prince back to the kingdom he had left behind.

The Prince’s return brings a rush of joy into the moribund fort. His mentally challenged twin sister, Princess Nandini [Raima Sen] and his childhood love Rajjo [Vidya Balan] are delighted to see him. But the joy of reunion is short-lived.

There is unrest in the kingdom: Farmers are being stripped of their lands. The king, Rana Jaywardhan [Boman Irani], influenced by his brother, Rana Jyotiwardhan [Jackie Shroff], supports the atrocities being forced upon the helpless peasants. The king receives a death threat over the phone. An irreverent police officer, Pannalal Chohar [Sanjay Dutt], is called in to investigate. But he might be too late.

The fragile peace of the land is suddenly shattered by a barrage of bullets. And amidst the mayhem, the safely guarded secrets of the fort are unveiled. What follows is a contemporary, edge-of-the-seat dramatic action thriller with a stellar ensemble cast – Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Jimmy Sheirgill, Raima Sen and Sharmila Tagore.

The film marks the return of Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who directs after a hiatus of seven years.

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Visit the official website:

[www.eklavyatheroyalguard.com]

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No stunt doubles used by any actor including Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff & Boman Irani

With every actor in Vidhu Vinod Chopra?s action packed Eklavya insisting on doing their own stunts, there were many thrilling and exhilarating moments during the shoot of the contemporary action drama in Rajasthan.
For Amitabh ?Eklavya? Bachchan especially, it was an exciting schedule with nail biting scenes being filmed on him. Inspite of Mr. Bachchan?s known fear of fire (he had suffered severe burns on his right hand in an accident in the past), he insisted on doing a risky scarf burning scene even though Vinod suggested using a stunt double.
During an action sequence, Mr. Bachchan ended up nearly getting stamped by a camel. In typical style, he makes light of it and says matter of factly: ?When you are doing an action scene, you obviously know action sequences are action sequences, and it can go wrong. They are manufactured sequences; it?s not like its on real time. And when you manufacture some things, the balance, the timing can go wrong. The camel decided to kick me in the head. These things happen? Actually, I should thank Vinod for giving me the costume, because the turban saved me!?
Apart from Mr. Bachchan, other actors too weren?t spared as they insisted on doing their own stunts. Boman Irani ended up getting nearly hit by a bullet and Jackie Shroff almost missed being hit by a moving train while doing his action sequence?.
Speaking about his action sequence, Boman Irani says, ?You know there is shot of me sitting in the car and the bullet goes past my ear and through the back screen of the car. Mr.Tinu Verma decides to fire a live bullet into the back screen and he is sitting right there between my legs with a gun, pointed and says ?Thoda darne ka acting karo?. I'm like Tinuji don?t worry mein dara hi hu, I'm really scared and so the performance will come. Tinnu Verma shoots and the bullet went past my ear and hits the back screen of the old vintage car. Tinnuji was supposed to hit the center but it goes two inches high and hits the metal frame. And I dread to think what if it hit the frame, and rebound and hit my ears. But I swear I'll never do that again. I swear I'll never do it again?.
With so many gripping incidents taking place while shooting, the film itself promises to showcase many more thrilling visuals for the audiences to enjoy.
Eklavya ? The Royal Guard, a film by Vidhu Vinod Chopra is slated for release on 16th February 2007. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani, Jimmy Sheirgill, Raima Sen and Sharmila Tagore.

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MUNNABHAI 3 promo with EKLAVYA - THE ROYAL GUARD

By Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

If watching an interesting looking drama involving quest for power, intrigue, greed and some family secrets tumbling from the closets were not good enough reasons to watch EKLAVYA - THE ROYAL GUARD then add on one more to the list!

Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra have just shot an exclusive teaser promo of the third in the series of MUNNABHAI/CIRCUIT escapades after MUNNABHAI MBBS and LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI and are all set to unleash it on the big screen during the screening of EKLAVYA - THE ROYAL GUARD.

Both Sanju and Arshad have already shot for the promo in their trademark attire and are shown trying to learn the English language. Reason? They are off to America and the basic pre-requisite for them is to be familiar with the language.

As per the grapevine, Munnabhai and Circuit meet none other than George Bush in this sequel and what follows from thereon is yet another laugh riot!

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Eklavya

It is supposed to be remake of Amol Palekar’s Marathi film Anahat starring Sonali Bendre, Anant Nag and Deepti Naval.

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i have no idea:chai:

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It is supposed to be remake of Amol Palekar’s Marathi film Anahat starring Sonali Bendre, Anant Nag and Deepti Naval.

Tell us something new :chai:

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denada here you maybe able to find some info.

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Many good Hindi movies especially with good story lines are remakes of Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam and Marathi movies. Regional Cinema in India has much better content than Bollywood flicks. Sad they dont have much budget.

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New York Times Review

Dharma, the Elizabethan Way

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

By ANDY WEBSTER
Published: February 15, 2007

Dharma, the time-honored concept of proper conduct, is a recurrent notion in “The Royal Guard,” a somber drama directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra (“Kareeb”), and while the film takes place in the present, it clearly has a heart for the classics, particularly those of Eastern philosophy, Shakespeare and genre cinema.

A dying aristocratic matriarch reveals her long-past affair with the devoted family sentry, Eklavya (Amitabh Bachchan), prompting the ire of her husband. Soon it is revealed that her son, Harshwardhan (Saif Ali Khan) — alienated by the strictures of his home, he has been in London and has only recently returned — is Eklavya’s progeny.

When the patriarch is killed by his brother and nephew, the loyal Eklavya, a fading warrior still handy with daggers, is compelled to avenge him. He must also come to terms with his son, and with a police officer (the Bollywood veteran Sanjay Dutt) who suspects him of murder.

Shakespeare’s 18th Sonnet (“Shall I compare thee …”) is twice invoked in “Guard,” and the film’s dark palace interiors and scheming evoke “Macbeth.” But the swooping camera movements, slow motion and dexterous derring-do conjure martial arts movies; arid desert scenes suggest the western; and a spooky confrontation in a villain’s screening room almost plays like the 1960 British thriller “Peeping Tom.”

The main tribute in “Guard,” however, is to Mr. Bachchan, an aging Bollywood monument (and father of the rising actor Abhishek Bachchan), whose sunken, heavy-lidded eyes, grizzled countenance and noble bearing indisputably convey the presence of a seasoned star.

THE ROYAL GUARD

Opens today in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area.

Produced and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra; written (in Hindi, with English subtitles) by Mr. Chopra, Abhijat Joshi and Swanand Kirkire; director of photography, Nataraja Subramanian; music by Shantanu Moitra; production designer, Nitin Chandrakant Desai; released by Eros International. Running time: 107 minutes. This film is not rated.

WITH: Amitabh Bachchan (Eklavya), Saif Ali Khan (Prince Harshwardhan), Sanjay Dutt (Pannalal Chohaar), Vidya Balan (Rajeshwari), Boman Irani (Rana Jaywardhan), Jackie Shroff (Jyotiwardhan), Jimmy Shergill (Udaywardhan), Raima Sen (Nandini), Parik**** Sahni (Omkar Singh) and Sharmila Tagore (Suhasini Devi).

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Looking forward to seeing this movie...

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The movie is getting great reviews everywhere!

Last person to answer this post wins!!!!
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it's less than 2 hours which is such a relief!

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well me going today to see it:)

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its an ok kinda movie. not great. sanjay dutt is awesome.

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Bloody Royals
Elkavya unites the best of Bollywood past and present
by David Chute
February 20th, 2007 3:24 PM
Elkavya: The Royal Guard
Written and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Eros International, now playing

http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0708,chute,75855,20.html

The first good sign is Amitabh Bachchan’s real beard. As the eponymous royal bodyguard in writer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Elkavya: The Royal Guard, the most popular movie actor in the world sports a magnificent set of bristling whiskers, like a pair of Victorian muttonchops that have grown together and taken over his face. Not prosthetic fur, you understand, but actual follicles. With this plumage, a costume of turban, boots, and jeweled dagger, and a pair of watery bloodshot eyes tailor-made for screen-filling close-ups, Bachchan is the perfect visual emblem of the central conflict of this story: the continued survival, in the present, of the crumbling splendor of the past.

On the surface, Elkavya is vintage Bollywood melodrama, complete with fratricidal murder plots, revelations of illegitimate paternity, and a glorious final spasm of revenge that a bloodthirsty Elizabethan would envy. Bachchan plays a battered guard whose ancestors have protected the same family of Rajasthani kings (or Ranas) for nine generations. The Ranas of Devigarh are a royal family that in modern, democratic India have been stripped of all but their ceremonial authority. But you’d never guess it from the life inside their hive-like palace, which feels lost in time; it comes as a bit of a shock when, at one point, a helicopter touches down in the garden.

The revelation that drives the plot is almost diabolically well chosen: an issue of paternity that gnaws at the vitals of a patriarchal system. And it’s not at all far-fetched that the clan’s upstanding and responsible heir apparent, Harshwardhan (Saif Ali Khan), wasn’t actually sired by the ineffectual current titleholder, Jaywardhan (the gifted comic actor Boman Irani, overdoing the sniveling depravity), but rather by Elkavya himself. (I’m not spoiling: This is all revealed in the first two minutes of the film.)

Elkavya was filmed in two actual Rajasthani palaces, one for the endlessly receding gilded interiors and another for the crumbling facade. But the action that unfolds in these enormous spaces is almost a chamber drama, all intense two-shots and vehement whispered exchanges. And because the entire cast (with the single exception of the star) has been carried over en masse from the last several films produced by director Chopra (including Munnabhai M.B.B.S. and Parineeta), the movie often feels like a work created for a snug repertory company, with roles tailored to the talents of each familiar performer.

Chopra had a privileged upbringing by Indian standards, but he’s not a member of Bollywood royalty who went into the family business. Having abandoned an Oxford scholarship to join the first class at the arty National Film Institute at Pune, he was denounced as an apostate when he left the self-serious world of Indian Ò cinema for Bollywood in 1989, writing and directing the Bombay gangster drama Parinda. But the seriousness of Chopra’s beginnings has survived in his popular work, and in films like 1942: A Love Story (1993) and Mission Kashmir (2000), he has managed to revitalize the fulsome and expressive conventions of old-school Bollywood music-drama. Elkavya contains only one song sequence, a lovely set piece for leading lady Vidya Balan, but it embraces the imperatives of dynastic family melodrama as fervently as any classic of Bollywood’s Golden Age. This is robust storytelling with blood and thunder pumping through its veins—and real whiskers on its face.

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this movie is SO SO.people dont make high hopes from it cause muhjai koi khaas story nahi laggi.shukar hai it was for 2 hours.

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how about the music...was that any good? I only heard the Chanda re song and really liked that one.

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super flop movie of the year :nook: i wasted my precious time to understand this super flop stupid movie :aj:

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I really enjoyed the movie! It was to the point. It focused on it's 2 main characters - Saif and AB - and didn't go into any friviolous song and dance sequence or unnecessary flashbacks. AB was great in his role! It was a relief to see him without the black hair/grey beard. Jackie didn't overact. Sanjay Dutt was funny :D And it always a pleasure to see Vidya since she is such a "normal" actress.

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