Guru

AV – ***1/2
EV – ***

Okay, I confess – all I wanted was a documentary on the life of late Dhurubhai Ambani.
The big mistake – I expected that from mainstream cinema!
I was more bothered to see how the world class Jamnagar refinery was set up even when the movie was galloping towards the climax. My hopes of watching a biographical movie were shattered with the disclaimer playing party pooper but then I thought “Hey, maybe they just want to play safe.” For once even Rahman’s songs were a distraction!

Guru is loosely based on the life and times of late Dhirubhai Ambani. Loosely based?
Well, for starters the character Guru and his life has a startling resemblence to that of  Dhirubhai (nevermind the disclaimer). The behemoth called “Shakti” was all about Reliance in the polyester business. The story of an ambitious young “outsider”who influences the corridors of power and indulges in political arm-twisting that eventually makes him the most successful businessman of the country is something which we all have heard before. But instead of sticking on to the main theme and keeping it tight, the plot veers unnecesarily to add an emotional tinge to the story (Vidya Balan’s part) besides depending on ill-timed songs to apply brakes on the pace.

A quick summary – Gurukant Desai (Abhishek) never lived up to his father’s expectations and leaves home for the middle east to work as a fuel station assistant. He is business savvy & ventures into the polyester business after returning home. Along with his savings he uses the dowry he gets after marrying Aishwarya to start his “bijness“. He struggles to enter the trading circuit because of the “members only” status maintained by the rich union leaders who ran the major business houses of that era. With his grit and perseverance he breaks into the circuit and wins the heart of many including the chief of the daily ‘The Independent’ (Mithun Chakrakraborty). But his ways of breaking the ‘license raj’ didn’t find many approvers and they they plotted his downfall accusing him of
business malpractices and tax evasion. The movie shows Guru’s rise and fall and then again a phoenix like act in the end.

Guru is part biographical, part imaginative. The trouble is when the imagination takes over the theme to create many incoherent moments. The basic idea should have been to keep it simple and straightforward but Mani Ratnam likes things to go his way. The result is the same kind of feeling one gets after watching Dil se & Yuva – damn! it could have been better.
From the acting department we have many gems; Mani Ratnam does not disappoint here. He has this uncanny ability to extract career best performances from Abhishek Bachchan (earlier it was Yuva). Abhishek can hope to sweep all the blah blah blah awards next year if the Khans or Roshans do not come up with something superlative. The final courtroom scene will silence even the harshest of his critics (though the aura of senior Bachchan looms over). Aishwarya is wonderfully restrained and plays her part to perfection. There is ample amount of chemistry on display especially after that dud called Umrao Jaan. Its a treat to watch Mithunda doing some quality work unlike his Chandaal/Yamraaj/Hitler days. Madhavan and VidyaBalan are wasted, the latter’s  role acting as speed breakers especially towards the climax.

Rahman’s music is one of the highlights of the movie – “mayya mayya” & “Gurubhai aavyo” go well with the movie. “Tere bina” is a great song, but its timing seems inappropriate in the movie. Other songs may require a couple of more listenings to grow (must be a rage in Saurashtra already ) on you but the movie would have been better off with shorter versions. Cinematography is first rate and the sets pieces seem authentic (notice the BEST tram and old Bombay charm!). Check out the shirts that Abhishek wear (hehe), good detailing! Mani Ratnam is technically as well as artistically brilliant
in parts. Put all the pieces together & definitely something’s missing. Come on, why couldn’t you carry the spunk from the scenes depicting the shareholders meet or
the courtroom drama to the rest of the movie?

Mani Saar, when an inspirational gritty movie was the need of the hour you should have concentrated on that aspect instead of giving it an emotional angle or carefully choreographing Ash on a slippery piece of rock!

-Arun