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His last release as a director was way back in
2000 with Mission Kashmir and it has taken film-maker Vidhu
Vinod Chopra seven years to get ready with his next directorial venture,
Eklavya— The Royal Guard, that releases
on February 16.
Well, Chopra’s production
house may have kept hits flowing in with Munnabhai MBBS, Parineeta
and Lage Raho Munnabhai, but the man was never behind
the camera.
So, the obvious question which
strikes me first is was what kept him away from direction for so
long? Now, before he answers the question, Chopra prefers to vent
his anger on multiplexes, over which he is involved in a fight over
revenue sharing (a recent phenomenon that has hogged the limelight
around several big releases).
"I
don’t care what they do, I have to get my due. If that does
not happen I won’t release my film at multiplexes," is
his straightforward answer. Well, we all hope that the logjam is
sorted out and we are not deprived of watching the film which according
to Chopra is his "dream project".
Yes, and he gets back to answering
the question. "The film is such that it couldn’t be written
fast. It took five years and the reason is justified. It is a film
that is different in many ways, including treatment and so on,"
says the maker of landmark films like Parinda, 1942: A Love Story
and Mission Kashmir.
Well, it’s his dream project
and why shouldn’t it be? Have a look at the cast (he has never
handled so many stars at the same time before). Amitabh Bachchan
plays the title role, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Jackie
Shroff, Sharmila Tagore, Vidya Balan, Jimmy Sheirgill and Raima
Sen among others.
"Yes, it is an ensemble cast
and I had reason enough to rope them in. I did not go for names,
but went by characters that needed such actors," justifies Chopra,
who directs Bachchan for the first time.
“The script was written
keeping Bachchan in mind, yet, it is not just Bachchan-centric.
Every character has an important role to play,” says Chopra
who further adds: "Eklavya will be one of Bachchan’s
all-time finest performances and people will remember it forever
like some of his many other roles that he has portrayed with perfection
over the years."
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