Mani Ratnam’s Guru- Movie Review:(part 1)

Last evening I was in the theatre lounge, with the tickets for the 7:30 show for GURU, trying to anticipate what would the movie be like. But by the time I entered the hall my head was blank and ready for the experience. Now, it’s highly exercising to empty your brain from the reviews that were prolifically written on the movie. Not that I was completely successful to forget them but surely I had no prejudiced view towards any aspect of the film. And the feeling that I had while stepping out of the hall was that of a pleasant experience with no great frustration of having seeing something really unpardonable and with no great admiration towards the movie (which would have made me go gaga about the movie). What was there was a genuine appreciation of the efforts seen on screen and a critical bend that would probably not crucify but point out the defects in the movie. Overall it was an experience worth having, in fact a must have experience for ‘good cinema’ lovers.

Storyline and Plot:

Storyline, as everyone knows, is the fictional version of a real life story inspired by Dhirubhai Ambani’s life. Some say that the inspiration, which was called sketchy by the director himself, was quite apparent. But I feel that the movie has got all the elements (which are part of every good plot, so why the comparison) that a protagonist needs to be a hero- A rival to confront, a press or a court to answer, a mob to favor or be against, a dutiful and strong wife, well-wishers who never question and a strong trait of character that brings the person to the status of a hero. The plot has only one great difference from that of a ‘Tragic Hero’ and that is… Mani’s Gurukant Desai is a ‘Bollywood Hero’ who never fails, but never the less a well portrayed one.

The screenplay is not a well crafted one and the plot doesn’t have a graph. The movie doesn’t pick up pace anywhere but still maintains not loose the one with which it started. But still the audiences are cued because the storyline is Guru himself, his gestures, words and action. The movie is solely on Gurukant Desai’s shoulder and the interest is retained because Guru remains a mystery to the audience- they leave the hall with a feel of not having known Guru completely and that’s the reason why the end doesn’t come as a culmination of the movie. The movie could as well have a sequel!

Review continues in part 2…

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