Guru - Rise of the Sun Pros: Cast performance & First half Cons: Script some times turn to be as one of documentary
A Mani Ratnam movie is always special and Guru is no exception. I like to read biographies a lot and I didnt miss the first days show of Guru in Dubai. The much awaited film satisfy most of the expectation from the film though it is not the best we can expect. The first half of the film is perfect and we cannot ask for more from the Director, though the technical side could be improved. The second half gives a mixed feeling, where the Writer/Director was in hurry to tell and justify the character. Overall, Guru is a well made biography, though improvements, especially in the scripting could have been done for better. The movie begins where Guru Kant Desai (Abhishek Bachchan) fails his exam and wants to go out to do a job. His father is a teacher and wants to see his son succeed in his studies, but Guru has no taste for studies. With a negative permission, Guru leaves his village and land up in Turkey. He worked as petrol can filler to chemical company assistant to Gambler. When he got a promotion as sales supervisor in the factory he was working and when the manager asked him to wear a tie, unlike others, he quit the job and decided to start business in India. His father has no confidence again and not helped him in any way. What he has is 15000 rupees. To get the rest of the capital he agrees to marry Sujatha (Aishwarya Rai) who earlier tried to run away with her lover, but her lover betrayed her. That was the beginning of the rise of Guru. His father always told him, not to dream because dreams will not come true, but he dare to dream and succeeded. The story now revolves around the business side of Guru where the relationship between Sujatha is developed nicely in parallel. One will be curious if the movie says anything about the children of Guru, but Mani Ratnam very wisely stayed away from it. The story ends where Guru establishes himself as the number one business establishment in India and announcing to the world that we are here to conquer the worlds no 1 spot!! Story is not credited for and Screenplay & Direction is by Mani Ratnam. The director brought best out of its cast and presented the story nicely . His selection of casts and location are to be specifically mentioned. However, the script could have been improved. There are many loose tags in the film, especially in the second half . While writing a script on a person or incident what the writer has to keep in mind is that it is not necessary to detail and justify all important incidents, but select a thread which will act as a core of the movie and work on it. Like his earlier biographical film Iruvar (based on MGRs life) this movie also gone descriptive to an extent in the second half. There are quite a few unnecessary characters with whom the main theme do not jell with and quite a few questions the script left unanswered. Other than that we should appreciate Mani Ratnam for his efforts. Guru is an Abhishek Bachchan show all the way . Abhishek has grown as an actor and it shows. We can see the glimpses of genius in this show, where he will be a contender for best actor in 2007. Except in a place where he was supposed to have tears in eyes which he failed to generate naturally, the actor delivered a fantastic performance. Aiswarya is as usual delivers a fine performance. Vidya Balan and Madhavan gave what the script required from them. After Chingari, Midhun Chakraborthy delivers another fine performance in this film. Mallika Sherawat gives a hot number in Turkish background. AR Rahmans music is averag e. The big AR Rahman magic is missing. Choreography by Saroj Khan and Brinda fails to make an impression. Though 2 songs (the dance number in Turkey and the song at the time Ash leaves Abhishek) were above average. Rajiv Menon, the Choreographer shot all the scenes with a natural background extremely well, especially the once in Athirappilly. The other shots are done okay. Editing could be improved. There are certain scenes in the film which need special mention. 1. Abhisheks visit to Manoj Joshi in the hospital. 2. Abhishek & Aiswaryas love scenes (including the one in the bed) 3. Madhavan tells his love to Vidya Balan. The kissing scene between Madhavan & Vidya Balan. (Oops! I didnt expect it from Madhavan!) 4. Abhishek dump all the polyster bags in the officers house. 5. Abhisheks reaction to the news that he got twin daughters (Buy one, get one free. No, it is not boys, but girls) 6. Abhisheks reply to the enquiry committee. The movie is very much for the elite audience. However, Mani Ratnam has added a lot of ingredients to make it tasty for the masses as well. The movie is a class one and masses has to decide whether they are going to shoulder it as well. Having said all these, dont expect a Roja, Kannathil Muthamittal or even a Dil Se, but a film of different genre and style. MOUTHSHUT.COM When you walk into a theatre for a Mani Ratnam experience, you go with certain pre-conceived notions and expectations in your mind. You know that Mani, undisputedly one of the best modern story tellers of this country, consistently produces stylishly made movies that have a fairly strong storyline, or at least one that tugs at your heart strings (Nayakan, Roja, Bombay, Mouna Ragam, Anjali - it is a long list that would name almost all of his films) good music, (he gave us A.R.Rehman) good cinematography, (P.C.Sriram, Rajiv Menon are among the best) stunningly shot dances (can anybody forget Chaiya Chaiya?) and you want the newest film too to be nothing less that all of that. Can any artiste live up to that sort of hype and fulfil the expectations of millions of movie goers? Mani, to his credit, rarely disappoints. Lets see what happens in his latest movie GURU. Mani Rathnam has made movies that belong to different genres - pure entertainment, relationship dramas, socio-political commentaries- and some of the best (Nayakan and Iruvar) have been those where he has borrowed freely from the experiences of those who have lived larger than life. GURU is said to belong to that particular category (borrow and issue a disclaimer) and this time Mani has looked at one man, who in many, and not always ethical, ways has changed the way India does business - Dhirubhai Ambani. >From polyester to petroleum and clashes with the government and press, there >certainly are too many similarities to fool anybody, disclaimer or not. The movie follows Gurukant Desai who moves from his village to Turkey to make a living. After 7 years of hard work, Guru spurns yet another promotion to return to India where he can make the dreams in his head come true, and take the country also forward with him. His father, sceptical, and completely unappreciative, sneers at him, predicting failure. These are the reference points of the movie - Guru has dreams of striking it rich, he wants to make a difference to his country, and the determination to do both is cemented by his fathers scepticism. The first half of the movie is practically flawless, if somewhat formulaic. There is the sizzling Mallika Sherawat item number, the meeting of a teary Aishwarya Rai, the discovery of who she really is, the setting of the stage for his future success - the way he negotiates the financing of his business is certainly a scene to remember- the serendipitious meeting with an upright newspaper owner, and the bashing down of the bastions of the rich powermongers who control Bombay trading markets. Come interval and you are left wondering what else could possible happen to take the story forward. It seems like Mani too was a little unsure, after this strong opening, what to do with his baby. The movie wobbles towards a shaky climax where Guru has to face the consequences of his ambition, greed, and refusal to take no for an answer. Gurukant Desai before a government enquiry panel - You frame the rules that make it necessary for me to sometimes kick somebody down, and at other times to salaam somebody else. I wanted to succeed, and I did all of this, And now you ask me why I kicked somebody down, and why I salaamed somebody else? When you think of the licence raj that effectively crippled Indian industry before Dhirubhai came along, it is hard to argue with this logic. Mani loves to put rousing words in the mouths of his heroes. He did that in Roja, and he does that in Guru. It works when the subject is patriotism, and while one can appreciate the truth in the words of Gurus speech, it doesnt have quite the same effect when the subject is commerce. The cast of GURU is peppered with minor characters, some of whom make a big impact with small roles - Roshan Seth, Aryan Babbar among others, and many more who do nothing for the story. Performances are uniformally good. Abishek, though not very good at depicting a man with physical limitations, is excellent. His body language suits the character perfectly, and this makes his characterisation far more real that the expressions on his face. There are fleeting moments when he reminds you of his father - the bhang song for example. Mithun is surprising good (is this the man who donned ridiculous costumes to wiggle about mouthing lyrics as inane as i am a disco dancer?) and a slimmed down Madhavan holds his own very well against the stars. Vidya Balan sadly is wasted in her role. Aishwarya proves once more that she can dance beautifully and look stunning, but that she cant act, even under the direction of a Mani Rathnam. Mani, who can afford not to fall prey to commercial traps, should have swapped her role with Vidyas. GURU is a good film, but it left me feeling vaguely disappointed at how hollow and tame the second half is, and how badly dubbed the Tamil version is - it is hard to relate to people dressed in Gujarati costumes mouthing Tirunelvelli Tamil. GURU is a movie about a hardworking man, about his dreams and his determination; about philosophies of both conviction and convenience, and as the story of such a man, it succeeds. Ignore the voice inside your head that asks - Thats it?
