`Guru` Ratnam excels again

By: Ankush Khanna At the time when Bollywood films are failing to match the extensive pre-release promotional campaigns and controversies created just to develop viewers’ interest, Mani Ratnam’s Guru comes as a welcome change and a much-needed relief.Unlike the silly Bollywood love stories or action movies where the near perfect heroes beat up the bad guys, Guru is a story based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, who started his career in Turkey as a petrol pump attendant and rose to become one of the top business tycoons in India. In the lead character Abhishek Bachchan has done a wonderful job by trying his level best to match his speech, gait and even the laughter with that of the character he was portraying in the film. His performance cannot be considered perfect but he has given a powerful performance, which will be remembered for sometime. While the junior B has already proved his acting skills in films like Yuva and Sarkar, this movie will definitely add another feather to his cap.In other important characters, Aishwarya Rai, Mithun Chakraborty and Madhavan have done commendable job. However, the one character, which was not required and that failed to make any impression was that of a physically challenged girl played by Vidya Balan. While all other actors of the film, especially Mithun and Madhavan, will gain much from this film, Vidya Balan’s character will only be talked about as completely unnecessary. But the movie does not get affected at all by her absence or presence.It is needless to say that the music is awesome and is a big hit. Gulzar’s lyrics and A R Rahman’s composition have always spun magic and Guru is no exception. ‘Barso Re’ picturised beautifully on Aishwarya Rai is a catchy number and on the big screen looks all the more entertaining. You may love or hate Mallika Sherawat, but her item number ‘Maiya Maiya’ is a delight for anyone to watch. I’m sure that after this film, Bollywood would get another item number in Mallika, thanks to Guru.