Jan 19, 2007 10:58 AM
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Direction
Mani Ratnam
Music
A R Rehman
Characters & Cast
Gurukant Desai- A villager from Gujarat, who dreams and has the panache to realize them, flawlessly enacted by Abhishek Bachhan
Sujatha- A feral beauty who matures into an independant woman/ wife and nurtures the success of her husband, Guru, played by Aishwarya Rai
Manikdas Gupta- Mithun Chakraborthy, an interesting individual who runs a newspaper- The Independant, who places honesty above all else.
Shyam Saxena- R Mahadevan
Meenakshi- Vidya Balan, wasted in character and used in liplocking
Jignesh- Arya Babar, a friend and "sala" to Guru who disappears mid film
Jumpa- a bodyliscious Malika Shehrawat who's absence is fillled with her memories til the end of the movie.
When Mani Ratnam decides to convey a message via bollywood, he does it defiantly and with Guru he succeeds in raising the artistic plane.
Guru embraces the realistic is definately a masterpiece. Among other things, the film set in the post-independence era about a man's ambition to achieve his dream, it also boasts of one of the best performances by Abhishek Bachchan.
The film is apparently is said to be inspired by the life of industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani, the late founder of the Reliance group - India's largest private sector industrial house.
The film opens in a small village in Gujarat where Gurukant Desai lives with his family and is having a tough time attaining to the expectation of his father, a school headmaster. Primarily due to the fact that he is disinterested in studies but wants to earn money. He moves to Istanbul and begins his career selling petrol cans.
With a vision of his ambition, Guru lands in Istanbul and works his way to the top. But after working hard for seven years he takes a U-turn and returns home to commence his own business as he thinks that if he's good nough, he should work for himself.
With part finance with himself he faces the dilemma of aquiring the other half inorder to set his dreams on the band wagon to success. This brings us to the art where he decided to marry Aishwarya Rai, the incentive being the ideal dowry for him to ulfill his ambition.
After marriage Guru moves to Mumbai with his wife and brother-in-law, Jignesh. But things are not trouble-free here as Guru faces obstacles created by rich and powerful at each and every step. Guru, however, is not discouraged - with time he learns to use loopholes in the system and pave a path for himself.
Abhishek is at his creative best in the film. He proves his talent and makes you take note. He carries the entire film on his character. Be it body language or dialogue delivery - Abhishek is astounding.
Performances by the supporting cast including Mithun Chakraborty, Sachin Khedekar and Manoj Joshi are powerful, making it a believable story. However, Vidya Balan's presence was not required in the film as she doesn't serve any purpose. She is too talented for the character she was given to play. R. Madhavan introduction is where the editor has snapped a few scenes far too many as it causes confusing and questionable comments in the audience as certain characters and why they are of such significance.
Although some may not agree, I felt Aishwarya Rai, in whatever little acting sahe had to play acted her best after Hum Dil Dechuke Sanam, her dances were fantastically choreographed by Saroj Khan, the hair and make up was good, she may have been a little stiff, but I suppose her face makes up for that.
Mallika Sherawat lives up to the expectations and sizzles the screen in a belly dance number picturized in Istanbul. She exubes such vulnerability with sexuality that I'm positive that both men and women alike will remember her after the movie.
Like many of Ratnam's previous films, "Guru" too was shot on actual locations. The major portion of the film takes place in Mumbai but the movie is never static, thanks to the superb camerawork of Rajiv Menon and Ratnam's full control over the narration. The lyrics by Gulzar are so divine that one seizes to wonder what experiences he must have been through in his life, such purity of thought, and the wonderful ability to express it as it is.
Overall a must watch for all age groups and ambitious young beings.
