A PERFECT PRELUDE TO A PERFECT ENGAGEMENT!

 

 

Guru is Mani Sir’s attempt to make the Indian version of Martin Scorsese’s 2004 film, Aviator (with Leonardo di Caprio in the lead, it had won 5 Oscars). Though, by the end of the film, it’s more than clear that albeit very talented, Mani Sir is no Scorsese; Abhishek Bachchan does certainly show that he can do a Leonardo. And that is great news... First and foremost, for the proud father who has loved the film so much that he wants to see it a hundred times; yes, for the Big B himself (his prayers seem to have paid off; the entire family had walked down barefoot a day before the release to Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple); secondly, for Junior B – as he finally succeeds to carry an entire film on his shoulders without the former’s support, and does it superbly; and finally, for the entire film fraternity on the whole, as it becomes very clear that it’s not going to a free run for Hrithik after all – if Hrithik is proving to be the master of action and dance, the junior Bachchan proves to be the master of intense acting.

If Aviator was based on the extraordinary story of ambitious business tycoon Howard Hughes, his success and his fight with his personal problems in the midst of wine, women, and wealth, Guru is based on India’s foremost story of business success in the midst of all environmental adversities and controversies – on that of the founder of the Reliance empire, the late Dhirubhai Ambani. No, the film thankfully does not travel up to the current battle between his two sons; it just traces the entire life of Dhirubhai till the time he has his famous shareholders’ meeting at the Cross Maidan, Mumbai (where, it seems in the film, suddenly his paralytic hand – till the scene before – becomes alright). However, unlike in the case of Aviator, the film only claims to resemble the life of Dhirubhai. The protagonist Abhishek here is called ‘guru-bhai’ instead.

As Guru, Abhishek gives the performance of his life – from an ambitious young man making his two ends meet in Turkey, to the man who gets married for dowry and falls in love eventually, to the determined start-up entrepreneur, to the slowly-becoming-manipulative big-businessman, to the middle-aged tycoon, to the semi paralysed eventual winner – Abhishek performs convincingly and with character. Though at times he does try to sound like the Big B, it sure is a pleasing effort of an admiring son – after all, who in this country wouldn’t want to copy a style or two of Big B? He looks sweet – that too without his stubble – he looks loving and he looks in control. His performance is not just convincing, but he also does something that even Big B or King Khan would have loved to do. It’s an ideal role for any hero and Abhishek does complete justice to it. Another role like this for him, especially from the ultimate house of blockbusters, the Yash Raj camp (who understand the nuances of commercial success best), and it could be the beginning of another big Bachchan.

If Abhishek on one hand gives a stellar performance, Ash is not far behind. From a village girl to the ageing wife of a tycoon, she gives a fabulous performance, perhaps her best. She looks good and acts better as the middle aged wife, and that’s the beauty of her performance. She performs stunningly instead of just being a stunning face to sell the film. If we got to see what a stunner (with a Hollywood appeal) she can be in Dhoom: 2, here we get to see that she can act very well too, given the right direction. It is, therefore, that we are calling this film a perfect prelude to a perfect engagement – that between the most beautiful woman and the most eligible bachelor of tinsel-town. Whether or not Abhishek or Ash get a national award for their superlative performances depends upon how others fare this year, and of course, on a whole lot of politics; but Mithun Chakraborty seems to have given yet another national award winning performance (in a supporting role) in a delightful and powerful portrayal of the editor of a newspaper, which tries to reveal Guru’s manipulative and fraudulent ways to the world. He simply gets into the character without trying to make the character like him. It’s a pity that he has been used so wastefully by the industry.

As for the rest of the actors, Mallika is becoming better by the day and is very nice in her item number; and Mani Sir has shown the right kind of roles that should be offered to Vidya Balan – she does look the character without much effort! The only miscast is southern superstar Madhavan. He looks way too clever and slippery to suit the role of a driven journalist. One is also forced to wonder why, in an otherwise aesthetically made typical Mani Ratnam film, there is an ugly and lecherous looking kiss. Coming after the completely “international appeal” Dhoom: 2 kiss, it really looks pathetic and wannabe! The film fails on three key grounds despite these stellar performances, Mani Sir’s sheer brilliance in getting them out and his visible mastery over the craft of film making. Firstly A. R. Rahman’s music and the songs are a huge let down. Apart from the item number, the rest almost look and sound irritating, as well as wrongly placed. The best example being the Bhang song, which also happens to be the worst song in the film. This film could have done better with maximum two songs, the second one being Bin Tere Kya Jeena (sung when Ash leaves Abhishek in the film). The second problem with Guru is that those not initiated with Dhirubhai’s life would fail to understand a few scenes – like the one where he goes to meet one particular minister – and might therefore even fail to sustain enough interest. And finally, the third problem is that since Dhirubhai’s life did not have enough cinematic masala (unlike Howard Hughes’), the film remains too linear. Even the final court trial climax – its impact and handling – is a let down. And in the middle of too many wrongdoings – and improper justification of the same – it doesn’t become inspirational enough for the masses, not enough at least for the real big bucks to flow in at the box office. It is, however, a must watch for all those who love to see a good film (sans masala and commercial value in terms of grand songs and dances) for some great performances, good direction and for all those intrigued by Dhirubhai Ambani’s life.