Movie Review - Guru

Movie Review - Guru (HindiSong.com)

Produced and directed by: Mani Ratnam
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan, Vidya Balan, Mithun Chakraborty,
Music: A.R. Rahman
Cinematography: Rajiv Menon
Dialogues: Vijay Krishna Acharya

Mani Ratnam, one of the finest filmmakers of India has come out with his new film called GURU amidst great expectations. The master storyteller tells the story of a man who rises from the bottom and becomes the premier industrialist of the country through hard work, determination, passion, and strategy.

Basically, GURU is a tremendously inspiring story that makes the viewer feel more confident to encounter challenges and hurdles in life. While the movie has a strong message, which is highly motivating, the entertainment value has been commendably added to the whole fair. There is almost no moment when you feel bored.

Set in 1951, GURU is a story of a dreamer. It depicts the way how the dreamer makes his dreams a reality. A young man living in a small village of Idar in Gujarat, 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!

The ruthlessly ambitious villager 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, he encounters the hard reality. The business world in Mumbai is a closed community ruled by a handful of rich and influential people who don’t believe in giving opportunities to new players. Guru is unperturbed and dares to take on the big weights with his determination and strategic brilliance. He gets a break through and starts Shakti Trading.

His unique ways and amazing zeal help him climb the ladder of success at a furious pace. He doesn’t hesitate to violate the laws to get his plans work. He ultimately captures the commanding heights. His dreams come true.

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 always right, he along with the Editor of his newspaper, Shyam [Madhavan], decide to expose Guru’s unjust ways.

His wife Sujatha doesn’t remain a mute spectator in his life. She provides him the much needed emotional support. When he fells sick she comes to the forefront to face the odds.
The rest of the film depicts what happens to the fight between the newspaper and the industrialist. It also tells how he faces the trial of justice.
There is plenty of dazzling moments in the film. Guru’s brother-in-law Jignesh [Arya Babbar] staging a walkout and creating a rift between Guru and his wife, 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 are some samples. The finale in which we see the peak of Junior B’s powerful performance is the high point of the movie.

Guru’s strange relationships with his father [Rajendra Gupta], and newspaper publisher Nanaji, and his aide have been conceived and portrayed in a fine manner. The director has handled the vicissitudes of the life of the protagonist in a manner that the audience naturally identifies with the character. The depiction of the marital relationship between Guru and Sujatha is amazing. The chemistry between the pair is incredible.
The graph of GURU escalates gradually and reaches its peak in the final scenes. Guru’s monologue in a packed courtroom is awesome. The impact it creates is beyond the realms of words to describe.

Ace director Mani Ratnam has documented the life of an industrialist but has carefully avoids the boredom of a documentary. The twists and turns in the screenplay keep the interest of the audience intact. The film has been executed with a lot of maturity and credibility. The director has maintained his grip over the medium through out the film. He has chosen right actors and extracted top class performances from them. The script is absorbing.

However, there are a few loose ends that cannot be overlooked. The tiff between Guru and his bro-in-law Jignesh is not convincing. Moreover, the film doesn’t say anything about what happened to Jignesh after the rift. The way young Guru manages to corner the IAS officer sans logic.

The Madhavan-Vidya Balan track could have been developed further. The emotional dimension between them has been told beautifully and the kissing scene is aesthetically filmed. But the track somehow seems to be an extra fitting in the backdrop of the overall narrative. More justification could have been added to this sub-plot.

The pace in the second half could have been better. Apart from tightening the narrative, the director could have done away with the song ‘Ek Lo Ek Muft’.

Despite these shortcomings, GURU ranks amongst Mani Ratnam’s excellent attempts. The unique stamp of the genius is seen in each sequence and the impact is tremendous.

A.R. Rahman’s music gels well with the film. ‘Maiya Maiya’ at the start of the film [Mallika Sherawat] is peppy, while ‘Barso Re’ [Ash’s introduction – what a dance!] and ‘Tere Bina’ are melodious. Background score adds another dimension to the entire venture. Rajiv Menon’s cinematography is on par with international standards. The look and feel of 1950s has been stunningly captured. Dialogues (Vijay Krishna Acharya) are poignant. The dialogues in the climax are breathtaking.

Abhishek Bachchan steals the show with his outstanding performance. He has shrewdly grasped the nuances of the character and handled it excellently. This one is a complex role and hence Abhishek deserves special complement. He has depicted the various stages of life with commendable ease. The intensity with which the average audience identifies with the character speaks about the success of the characterization and the performance. From a sharp teenager in Turkey to the biggest entrepreneur of the country, Abhishek expresses the various shades this character demands with dexterity.

In short, Abhishek Bachchan’s performance in GURU is top class. Hats off to Junior B.
Aishwarya Rai too comes out with a powerful performance. She has got a sumptuous role and handled it very well. She adds a sort of grace to the character. Her looks are amazing and her acting is stunning. GURU has unearthed some hitherto unknown talents from her. Her dancing, particularly in the intro song is simply marvelous. She exudes a lot of maturity when she depicts an older Sujatha.

Mithun Chakraborty plays the role of an honest newspaper owner. His experience and unique skills help him to deliver a natural performance.

Madhavan does well in a small but important role. So is the case with Vidya Balan. Mallika Sheravat sizzles in the item number with her curvaceous body.