So, Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Eklavya is all set to go for Oscar’s as India’s official entry. The movie did receive some critical praise when it was released, which did nothing to stop the viewers from rejecting it right away. The praise that Eklavya garnered did not seem to be of the kind that could ordinarily impress the The Film Federation of India (FFI). But somehow the FFI was indeed impressed by the film.
Eklavya stars Amitabh Bachchan alongside Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, and Vidya Balan, and is the tale of a royal guard who puts his life in line to protect heir Saif Ali Khan from his scheming relatives.
Among the other films considered Gandhi, My
Father and Chak De India were foremost. Anyone of them would appear to be a better choice than ‘Eklavya’ to any moviegoer. Therefore, FFI’s choice this time is nearly as odd as it was when it selected ‘Paheli’ as India’s official choice to the Oscar sometime back. Gandhi, My Father is certainly a moving tale and has been made with an unusual elan. How did FFI decide in favour of Eklavya is unclear. Has it got something to do with Rajasthan? The only commonality between two odd choices – Eklava and Paheli – is Rajasthan. May be FFI is more interested in displaying Rajasthani culture to the world rather than brandishing India’s cinematic expertise.
