“Eklavya”: India's official Oscar entry

A scene from Eklavya

Hindi feature film “Eklavya”, a tale of mystery and action against the backdrop of a royal family, has been chosen as India's official entry for the Oscars in the best foreign film category.
The announcement was made by Pahlaj Nihalani, president of the Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programmes, which selects the entry by appointing a jury, recently.
“Eklavya” has been directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, one of the leading filmmakers of Bollywood.
The film starring Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Vidya Balan, is the story of a royal guard, played by Amitabh Bachchan, who knows the well-guarded secrets of a royal family and swears fierce loyalty like his forefathers over nine generations.
Saif Ali Khan plays the role of a prince who uncovers the truth about his past upon returning home for his mother's funeral.
Made at a cost of Rs 20 crore and released in March this year, the film beat competitors -- “Chak De India” starring Shah Rukh Khan, Mani Ratnam's “Guru” featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, and Feroz Abbas Khan's “Gandhi My Father”.
This is the third time director Vidhu Vinod Chopra's film has been nominated for the Oscar. His short non-fiction film “An Encounter with Faces” was one of the first Indian films to be nominated for an Oscar in 1980 and nine years later “Parinda” was sent to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences but both returned empty-handed.
“Eklavya” has received critical acclaim in India but bombed at the box office. However, Chopra is optimistic. “I'm banking on my previous experience at the Oscars and the overwhelming support the film has received in the West,” he said.
But already note of dissent has emerged from none other than Pahlaj Nihalani who questioned the choice of the jury saying it would damage India's growing reputation abroad in quality filmmaking.
So far, no Indian film has won an Oscar but Satyajit Ray was honoured by the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a lifetime achievement award in 1992.