Watch Guru for Abhishek`s world-class act Movie
Guru Director
Mani Ratnam Cast
Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Mallika Sherawat Post Your Review
--> Meet India's most powerful man, screams the headlines.
You want to believe the statement primarily because the man at the helm of
affairs is none other than Mani Ratnam, one of the finest talents India has
produced. Irrespective of how his films are received by the paying public, you
cannot deny the fact that a Mani Ratnam film is special.
So when Guru, Mani's new film, makes claims such as the one mentioned above,
the viewer saunters into the cineplex with real big expectations.
Mani's impressive repertoire includes a few bio-pics and now Guru is a welcome
addition to the club. This time around, the supremely talented storyteller
narrates the story of a man who rises from zilch and becomes the premier
industrialist of the country through sheer hard work, determination, passion
and grit.
Editor's Choice As a story, Guru is tremendously inspiring
and makes you feel all the more confident to encounter challenges and hurdles
that may crop up in a journey called life. But by no means is Guru a
documentary, as a section of the film industry/media would want us to believe.
Sure, Guru chronicles several vital facets of an industrialist's life, but the
marriage of enlightenment and entertainment is brilliantly executed here.
With Guru, Mani proves that he's indeed the Guru when it comes to narrating
stories. Note the poignant moments in the narrative -- Guru's thorny
relationship with his father [Rajendra Gupta], his relationship with a
newspaper publisher [Mithun Chakraborty], Guru's brother-in-law Jignesh [Arya
Babbar] staging a walkout and creating a rift between Guru and his wife Sujata
[Aishwarya Rai], the confrontation between the journalist [Madhavan] and Guru
at the publisher's residence, Guru's emotional moment in the hospital when his
trusted aide [Manoj Joshi] attempts suicide and of course, the finale.
The graph of Guru escalates gradually and reaches its crescendo in the
concluding reels. Guru's monologue in a packed courtroom -- where an enquiry
commission is looking into the complaints against Guru's companies -- gives you
goose bumps. The simpleton from a village in Gujarat roars like never before
and the impact it creates cannot be described in mere words. All you want to
say is, it's the most fitting finale for a fabulous film!
Mani's choice of the protagonist -- Abhishek Bachchan -- is equally worthy. You
ought to be enormously talented to understand the nuances of the character and
Abhishek deserves the highest praise for reliving a complex role. You smile
when he smiles, you cry when he cries
you relive every single emotion that the
character experiences. Only goes to show that the actor involves you at every
step with a stupendous performance.
In a nutshell, Guru packs in a solid punch in those 2.45 hours. The year 2007
may have just begun, but one can confidently state that this Mani Ratnam film
will rank prominently amongst the bests of the year when we go into a flashback
mode later this year. Put your hands together for one of the most courageous
attempts on the Hindi screen. Guru is a film not to be missed!
In a small village of Idar in Gujarat, a young man dreams of making it big some
day. His father [Rajendra Gupta], the headmaster of the village school, tells
him that dreams never come true. But Gurukant Desai [Abhishek Bachchan] dares
to dream!
Set in 1951, Guru tells the story of a ruthlessly ambitious villager who moves
to Turkey first and Mumbai later with his wife Sujata [Aishwarya Rai] and
brother-in-law Jignesh [Arya Babbar] to fulfill his dreams.
In Mumbai, truth dawns upon Guru that the business world is a closed community
ruled by a handful of rich and influential people who don't believe in giving
opportunities to new players. Despite barriers, he starts a company called
Shakti Trading and climbs the ladder of success at a furious pace.
Manik Dasgupta aka Nanaji [Mithun Chakraborty], who publishes a newspaper
Swatantra, treats Guru as his son. But when he learns that Guru's means to make
it big are not right, he along with the Editor of his newspaper, Shyam
[Madhavan], decide to expose Guru's unjust ways.
Even though Guru is a bio-pic, the serpentine twists and turns in the
screenplay are the mainstay of the enterprise. You may have heard of a few
incidents, but the life sketch of the leading industrialist makes for an
interesting celluloid experience.
>From the writing point of view, while Guru holds your attention at most times,
>there are a few loose ends, though negligible, that you cannot overlook. The
>tiff between Guru and his bro-in-law Jignesh is one of those tracks. What
>actually brings about a rift between the two and why doesn't Jignesh reappear
>anywhere in the story later is not explained.
Another track that doesn't really hold your attention is the one between
Madhavan-Vidya Balan. Although the emotional sequence between them is a
highpoint [the smooch that follows is aesthetically filmed], you still wish
there was some more meat in this sub-plot.
Moreover, the film can do without a song 'Ek Lo Ek Muft' [appears soon after
Guru and his wife are blessed with twins] and also the pacing could've been
tighter in the second half.
Guru ranks amongst Mani Ratnam's finest attempts. In fact, it wouldn't be
erroneous to state that the film is at par with his most accomplished works
like Nayakan, Agni Nakshatram, Gitanjali, Roja and Bombay. Every sequence in
Guru bears the stamp of a genius and the outcome is tremendous.
A.R. Rahman's music is in sync with the film. 'Maiya Maiya' at the start of the
film [Mallika Sherawat] is sizzling, while 'Barso Re' [Ash's introduction] and
'Tere Bina' are melodious to the core. Rahman's background score is also
topnotch. Rajiv Menon's cinematography is of international quality. The lensman
captures the 1950s look, right to the present day setting, with flourish. Vijay
Krishna Acharya's dialogues are of superior quality. The writing in the last
twenty minutes is fantastic.
Reserve all the awards for Abhishek Bachchan. No two opinions on that! His
performance in Guru is world class and without doubt, a shade above his
career-best work in YUVA. From a sharp teenager in Turkey to the biggest
entrepreneur of the country, Abhishek handles the various shades this character
demands with adroitness. He takes a giant leap with this film!
Aishwarya Rai too stuns you with a powerful performance. Known for her angelic
looks all the while, the actor will make people sit up and notice the
reservoirs of talent in Guru. Also, the chemistry between Abhishek and
Aishwarya is electrifying. Mithun Chakraborty is in form after a long, long
time. And it's a pleasure to see the veteran deliver a natural performance from
start to end.
Madhavan's role could've been stronger, but he enacts it with élan. Vidya Balan
too suffers due to a weak characterization, but makes up with a confident
performance. Arya Babbar is first-rate in a brief role. The film has a number
of characters, but the ones who register a strong impact are Roshan Seth, Manoj
Tyagi and Sachin Khedekar.
On the whole, Guru is one of the finest films to come out of the Hindi film
industry. At the box-office, its business will be excellent at the multiplexes
as compared to the single screens. In fact, the business at the multiplexes
[which are performing 12/14/18/20 shows a day] will be enough to make the film
a success story in days to come. Strongly recommended, go for it!
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