March 13th, 2007
{daily archives}
Eklavya : The Royal Guard
Eklavya has a great beginning. The first scene of the movie is probably the most powerful one. As Boman Irani recites a sonnet from Shakespeare to his dying wife, remembering the better moments of their courtship, one is mistaken for a moment about the present reality, and when the meaning of it crashes in with all its irony and cruelty, one doesn’t know whether to feel sad for Rani Ma (Sharmila Tagore) or for the Rana (Boman Irani, who is reminiscent of the kings in Shakespearean tragedies). However, this bitter irony of life soon takes a malicious turn and the movie takes off. The darker and gloomier foreground of the deathbed against the lighted backdrop sets the mood of the movie.