INSTEP Magzine

Is Guru Abhishek Bachchan's finest film? Yes. After a plethora of flops with no ounce of chemistry, does Guru establish Aishwarya and Abhishek as an electrifying onscreen couple? Yes. Is this one of Mani Ratnam's finest films to date? Yes. Does Abhishek deserve an award? Yes. Because Guru is a film that will go down in the history of Indian cinema as one of the most emotional, gritty and morally challenging films ever!

Set in the '50s, our introduction to Guru (Abhishek Bachchan) begins in a small village in India. A young man with a strained relationship with his father, Guru goes to Turkey to make it big. After seven years and a lot of hard work, he succeeds. But he decides to go back to India. Upon his return, he comes across Sujata (Aishwarya Rai), an innocent young girl who meets Guru in the most extraordinary circumstances. Soon, the two get married. But this isn't that love at first sight nonsense. It's much more complex.

With one wife, one brother-in-law (also Guru's business partner) and two shirts, Guru goes to the dream city, where every Indian hopes to go, the city of business, that is, Bombay. Thus begins the journey of Guru Kant Desai...

Guru is a learning experience. It sharply questions the viewer's ethics. Morally, bribery is a no-no for most. Human beings aren't for sale. But this film asks you: is it just an idealist's dream or is it applicable in the real world? Guru strikes a debate between ethics and money. Can the two ever go together? One would like to think that they do. However, this film changes the idealist's dream. How can a man be ethical when everyone from the government to merchants and traders are unwilling to give him a chance when he's being honest? How can a man achieve his dreams when he has no godfather, no sources and capitalists sitting at powerful positions don't want a villager to make it big in the urban center of business? Money talks, corruption is at the core of the government, where does one go?

Guru answers that. But it doesn't propagate corruption nor does it send the message that it's acceptable. It only questions and makes one think. At the end, are you for Guru or against him?

One sees Guru battle the nexus of media and politics. There is one man who has always stood for the truth and that's a journalist, Manik Das Gupta (Mithun) He supports Guru in his starting days but when he sees Guru following an unethical path, he stands up to him. One sees power of media to the max at play here. It is the one thing, the only thing that stands in Guru's otherwise perfect position and reputation. You realize through this film that media, be it in any part of the world, can take down the sharpest and often, the most powerful men.

Another very interesting aspect of the film is that it is based on the life of the Ambanis – one of the biggest business families in India. Guru's character is a take on Dhirubhai Ambani and most details in the film are, in fact, on the Ambanis. Dhirubhai, just like, Gurubhai started off in Turkey. He, too, had 30 lakh shareholders, and was just as confident and determined as Guru. Moreover, other characters such as Sujata, his wife, Manik Das Gupta, the journalist, among other characters are based on real human beings.

Guru's brilliance lies not only in its subject matter and the moral versus unethical debate but also in its actors, its cinematography, its music and its dialogues.

If Lallan from Yuva was hard-hitting, it is Guru Kant Desai, through his courage, willpower and grit who brings down the house. Abhishek Bachchan put a lot in this film and you can see it. He has gained quite a few kilos to portray a villager who turns into a sharp businessman. Many of his decisions may be wrong but it doesn't stop one from admiring his courage. You cry with him, smile with him and at the end, you feel proud of the accomplishments of Guru Kant Desai. Bravo! Aishwarya Rai is his perfect counterpart. From a young wife to the believer, she provides the subtle, beautiful moments in the film. The scenes between Ash and Abhi are top-notch. One can't help but think why didn't they ever work onscreen before? Mani Ratnam truly creates magic. Mithun Da as the honest journalist is convincing and gripping, sweet at times and angry at others. He is just a delight to watch.

The film is shot superbly, clear, concise and simply beautiful. A.R. Rahman provides some excellent melodies and once again, shines as a music maestro.

Perhaps the only drawback of the film is Vidya Balan's character. Even though, she delivers an adequate performance, her character was unnecessary. In fact, more importance should've been given to Shyam Saxena (R. Madhavan) – the other journalist with Mithun Da. But these loopholes can be overlooked because Guru is a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The master print is out now so do check it out.

Here's to Mani Ratnam for finally being acknowledged by the masses of India and here's to Abhishek Bachchan for bagging his first csolo hit – you have arrived, indeed!

–Maheen Sabeeh

*YUCK

**WHATEVER

***GOOD

****SUPER

*****AWESOME