Movie Review: Guru

Foreword	A Mani Ratnam Film is always considered special because of the impressive track record the man possesses The trailors of the movie were interesting. Though the music of the film wasn't the best. But RDB had also picked up only after the release of the film That the film is a biography of Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani raised the inquisitive quotient several notches
Watched it	In a place they called a theater (It was a junkyard) :-(
Bottomline	To pull off a narrative that demonstrates the rise of an illiterate village boy from a zero to hero is immensely challenging (More so, when you fit everything within three hours). And Mani Ratnam passes the challenge with great elan. That Guru Kant Desai (Gurubhai) lingers in your mind after you walk out of the movie hall is a victory for the makers of the film. The characterization and the look of the film is beautiful. Mani Ratnam touch is evident in more places than one - More so in songs e.g. "Barso Re" The big question while watching the film was: Will it raise the bar during the climax to evoke emotions that touch the right cord and inspire? That it does in style. The finale is very well penned and executed. The background score is excellent. Dialogues are first rate. Screenplay good. Editing left a lot to be desired. In an otherwise evenly and well paced movie, there are sections that drag. The song "Ek Lo Ek Muft" after the interval is bound to make audiences sleep. Build up to certain important scenes takes longer than expected. Vidya Balan was forcefully inducted into the film and the portions between her and Madhavan were candidates for the scissor A.R. Rahman is human. He delivers a package that is below his standards. No where close to RDB. Better music would have surely helped. In spite of Guru being a very good film, it leaves you with a it-could-have-been-even-better feeling. That might be part because of the reputation preceding the director's reputation.
Peformances	Abhishek Bachchan is stupendous(10 on 10). His portrayal of Guru Kant Desai should garner a flat A from all quarters. Easily his bestest performance till date. AB carries the film on his shoulders and does it brilliantly. His look is perfect for the film - Having put on 11 kgs just for this reason. (And that perhaps is the reason for his ordinary look in D2). Dialogues have been delivered with conviction and realism. Aishwarya Rai plays the role of his wife in the film (limited to the film for now at least). Surprisingly, she does not look ethereally beautiful. Surprisingly, her performance is first rate - Emoting with her presence and mannerisms. Surprisingly, she gets a substantial role in the film that otherwise is a pure AB film. So, a triple plus for Rai. Mithun Chakraborty is very good. Madhavan excels in a smallish role (The character could have been better used). Vidya Balan, thrust into the film without a reason, was ok. Support cast is good.
Recommendation	Go get your tickets NOW!
Expectation	****
Rating	****