Movie Review
Guru
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Mithun Chakraborty
Director: Mani Ratnam
Music Director: A.R. Rahman
You have to see Guru to witness Abhishek Bachchan's coming of age. Quite literally so, as the movie sees him grow from a gawky teenager to a wizened adult. And in Mani Ratnam's hands, Bachchan Junior flowers like never before.
The first half of the movie is brilliant as it traces the rags-to-riches story of the protagonist Gurukant Desai (Abhishek), of his rise from a smalltime salesman in Istanbul to a textile honcho in Mumbai. Of course, any parallels with the real life story of a top Indian industrialist are only coincidental, the director would have us believe. The second half becomes a little repetitive and tedious but that's a lapse one can overlook in view of the overall picture.
Mithun Chakraborty is in form after a long, long time and as a newspaper owner with leftist leanings, he has a towering presence. Madhavan playing his star reporter is restrained, Vidya Balan is charming (so what if she's on a wheelchair) and Aishwarya is graceful. But needless to say, it is Abhishek Bachchan who stands out in an author-backed role and a get-up to boot. In fact, the histrionics that he unleashes makes his act comparable to Al Pacino's in Scarface. One only wishes that the effort wouldn't show sometimes.
Rajiv Menon captures on reel exotic locales that range from the colorful shoreline of Istanbul to Gujarati countryside. AR Rahman makes musical magic once again with help from Gulzar. Dialogues by Vijay Acharya bring to life the director's vision.
An extremely inspiring movie, Guru is a highly recommended watch for those who dare to dream and also for those who don't.
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