In last review I had lashed over the NRIs here who had shown no interest in seeing Kabul Express but this time I think that lashing worked. It was houseful in my session and in the followup session

at The Alameda.
As expectd Guru is a another great work from Maverick film maker with surely at least three national awards for year 2006:
1) Abhishek Bachchan best actor.
2) Mithun best supporting actor.
3) Best Movie
4) Best cinematography
5) Best dialogues.
6) Best script.

From the pile of movies going to be released this year, I hardly find any strong contender to Guru, except for few categories. may be Eklavya and Black Friday give some competition in some segments during the award cermoneies. Also I am damn sure that this movie is going to be tax free at any stage.

A dreamer who tell how essentail it is to dream, for your progress and for nation progress with strong questioning of existence of any valid conscience and moral in public laws made by corrupt politicians who are bribed to make laws for country. This is the story of Dhirubhai Ambani’s rise perhaps and rise of Reliance group.
Gurukant Desai is a simpleton villager with a dream in eyes. He lands at Turkey, Istanabul to get some job, where he gets two very close friends sharing everything of life. Guru progresses and gets good promotion and money abroad but realises that working for outsiders can’t realize his dreams. A person who wishes to create his own world needs to take risk and do business, become enterprenuer and generate jobs for his own people wo are staying in poverty, back in India.
With nothing in hand, he returns to his village, disappointing his family. His dream keeps him confident and able to take risk, and finally emerges with a successful company in an era where liberalisation of economy was not prevalent. For everything licences were needed as well as heavy taxes. The country business and economy was trapped in extreme socialist networks woven by corrupt politicians due to which our economy lagged so badly for these 50 years.
Rules where logic were missing and beneficial for nothing. Jobs were totally dependent on government and dreaming to become enterprenuer was very tough job. You can assess by itself that to get a simple telephone line in Mumbai, Narayanmurthi had to wait for 3 years and finally had to shift office to Bangalore! Corporate rules of government would be influenced by already established old fashioned businessmens like Goenka and Birla who would not allow any other to flourish and forget public shares! Amid such situations those who rose were great and Ambani is among them.
The movie explores socio political situation of India at that time and the protagonist who had to hard tough form his own mentor (Mithunda) who was chief of The Statesman newspaper and the man behind formation of Guru, the fight of morals between Guru and Nanaji and Guru and Government, fight with self and suscpecion over self..this all complicated thing has been wrapped very well by Mani Rathnam. It was a really very complex topic to deal so perfectly and accurately keeping in mind also the variable taste of pubic as well as presenting the fact. Great job!

Performance are magical: Abhishek Bachchan witht his movie takes leaps and bounds ahead of his many contemprory senior artists as well as new comers. With this movie he puts himself as the new Guru of Hindi cinema. Three phases of life he portrayes easily and especially to notice that he is dealign with a complex personality who is questioned very thin linely between good,bad nd normal. He is terrific and puts high standard of performance for other artists and stars right now in hindi cinema. Out and out National award for best actor for 2007 is his.
Mithun Chakraborty is another terrific performer as a principled powerful chief of The Statesman, who knows the difference between duty and emotion. This man had got national award for his first performance, which only Amitabh Bachchan had too got only. And I am sure that for this one too he is going to get another one this time again. Superb Mithun. We want to see you in more such substantial roles and teach the new comers how to act instead of wasting yourself in Bheesma and Tiger ind of movies of TLV Prasad.
Aeshwarya Rai for the first time looked actress to me. She has done very good job and perhaps the best performance ..all natural and her chemistry with Abhishek as his wife is very good. Specially the bed fight scene and before Jury in the end.
Madhavan and Vidya Balan have small but significant role but not much to do. Rest of the artists, whatever they got have done brilliant and memorable job.

Direction and Techies: Mani Ratnam is simply best, he proves again with Guru. 3 flops but best director whose every product is unbeatable. His narration style is very good and very good grip on the psyche of character. He had very difficult task this time, recreating the early 1960’s to 80’s era with all roads colonies dressing and public attitude. He emerges as winner in toto.
Same time the movie is extremely good on all technical fronts with very good balance of frame, cinematography, background music, dialogues and editing. They are superb. Anurag Kashyap’s Dialogues are very witty and cinematography is breathtaking. Songs are good but their choreograpy are the only bad partof the entire movie.
On my personal note, the picture is very inspiring. Take a small example here of a scene where Guru was questioned by enquiry commision in English, and Guru says I am a villager and don’t know english. Please ask question in Hindi. It was superb stand by the director, who himself is a south Indian, over this great man and his respect for mother toungue which most of NRI’s and their chicks have forgotten and think that speaking english is the mirror to well to do. If you are so well to do capable, why you could not hold your roots??? Anurag Kashyap has really written excellent dialogues!

On final notes: Guru will be remembered for  long time in coming days of Indian cinema.  In the growing trend of benchmarking movies from bollywood, it is another benchmarking  movie.  A very intelligent pure and terrific movie must watch for everyone, who values his/her dreams.

Plot Revealed In The Review:	Somewhat revealed
Best to watch with:	Friends
Movie Genre:	No Comment
Best part in the movie:	Plot