Is somebody nuts? Of all the movies, the committee could spot this senseless movie and that too for Oscars. Somebody must be having a very low opinion of the Academy’s grey cells. Close on heels of his sequel “Lage Raho Munnabhai”, Chopra dished out this ‘wonder’ called “Eklavya” expecting to laugh all the way to the bank but the sensible viewer rejected it outright with utter contempt. For once, Chopra has goofed up.

Ekalavya is a mythological character. We come across this great personality in the Hindu epic “Mahabharat”. After the great coach Dronacharya refused to coach him, Ekalavya made a mud statue of Dronacharya and started practicing archery on his own. Once when Dronacharya learnt about Ekalavya’s skill, the former fearing that Ekalavya may surpass Arjuna in archery, asked Ekalavya to give his thumb as guru-dakshina (donation to teacher). Ekalavya obeyed his orders and since that day anyone perfecting any art on his own is metaphorically called “Ekalavya”.

Chopra’s “Ekalavya” is a royal guard. Any sane movie-goer will wonder what Amitabh Bachchan is doing in this movie! Chopra does not rest with Bachchan. He has actors like Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Jackie Shroff etc. stuffed up in this idiotic movie. I wonder who that foreign critic is who heaped praises on this film. I am sure he must have imagined India is all about snake charmers, rope tricks, beggars, poverty etc. And thanks to Chopra, its now adultery! As if once was not enough with the debacle of “Paheli”, the Indian Government’s committee again seems to be chasing films dealing with adultery. May not be a bad choice, after all, what with adult movies dominating Hollywood.

Chopra’s “Ekalavya” certifies another immorality – corruption. You can walk away with any crime if you have money or influence. Indians have stood by the nation’s age-old values and ideals. Unfortunately, Palekars and Chopras do not want to portray our value system which has a universal appeal. “Paheli” meaning ‘a puzzle’ was indeed a puzzle when it was nominated for the Oscars. Now we have a greater puzzle!

To expect and underestimate that the Academy Awards are just for cinematic brilliance and nothing else, is to live in a fool’s paradise. If Chopra’s “Eklavya” is a mistake, its nomination to the Oscars is a blunder.

The author is a professional chemical engineer having expertise in neutral spirits distillation. He is a free-lance web developer and has a flair for writing articles on a diverse range of subjects including the occult viz., http://allaboutmuhurta.blogspot.com and Home Business Basics He spits vitriol on several issues in his blog: http://newscritique.blogspot.com