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''Guru'' () is a 2007 Indian
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
-language
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Mani Ratnam Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. H ...
. Produced by
Madras Talkies Madras Talkies is an Indian entertainment company, which was established by director Mani Ratnam and his brother G. Srinivasan as partners in 1995. Madras Talkies has actively involved in production of films and television serials, which are d ...
, the film stars
Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...
,
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (; Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil films. Rai won the Miss World 1994 pageant and later established herself as one of the most-popu ...
,
Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, film producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and politician who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. In a career spa ...
, R. Madhavan, and
Vidya Balan Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fil ...
. The score and soundtrack for the film were composed by
A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...
. The film was rumored to be a
biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...
of the industrial tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani, but Ratnam refuted the claims, clarifying it was a work of fiction. The film was released on 12 January 2007 with its première at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Canada, on Thursday, 11 January 2007 by
Roger Nair Roger Nair is a producer, director, distributor and writer of Bollywood movies and Hollywood movies in Toronto, Canada who has been vice-chair of Ontario Creates since 2021. He has produced or distributed films such as ''Guru'', ''Kabhi Bhi Kah ...
, making it the first Indian film to have a mainstream international première in Canada. Roger Nair Productions acquired the rights for Canada and held a premiere with most of the cast and crew flown to Toronto, Canada. The film was premiered in the Tous Les Cinemas du Monde (World Cinema) section of
2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 27 May 2007. British filmmaker Stephen Frears served as jury president for the main competition. Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d'Or for the drama film ''4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 ...
. The film had also been dubbed and released in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
with the same title while in Telugu with the title ''Gurukanth''.


Plot

The beginning of the film is set in 1951 in the small village of Idar in
Sabarkantha district Sabarkantha district is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state of India, located in the Northeast India, northeastern part of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district are located in Himatnagar and the National Highway no. 48 pa ...
, northern
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
, where a young man named Gurukant Desai dreams of making it big someday. His father Kantilal, the headmaster of the village school, tells him not to dream and that dreams never come true. Guru decides to go to
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
and enter the spice trade, followed by a blue-collar job with
Burmah Shell The Burmah Oil Company was a leading British oil company which was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In 1966, Castrol was acquired by Burmah, which was renamed Burmah-Castrol. BP Amoco purchased the company in 2000. History The c ...
; later, he is promoted but refuses the job, as he wants to work for himself. Guru returns to his village; he marries Sujata, mainly because of the dowry she brings him. Along with Sujata and her brother Jignesh, Guru migrates to Bombay and starts trading in cloth. Gradually, he expands his business and sets up manufacturing units of his own under the name "Shakti Corporation." "Nanaji" Manik Dasgupta, who publishes the newspaper "Swatantra" ("The Independent"), treats Guru as his son. Guru looks upon him as a father figure who supported him during his early days of struggle in Bombay. He also develops a strong friendship with Meenu, the granddaughter of Nanaji. Meenu develops
multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
as she grows up and begins using a wheelchair. As Guru's business grows into one of the largest in India, he ruthlessly pursues success, engaging in activities such as smuggling machine parts for his polyester mills, illegally manufacturing goods, and manipulating stocks to make a higher profit. However, when Nanaji learns that Guru's means of success are not always honest, he, along with a reporter of his newspaper, Shyam Saxena, decides to expose Guru's increasingly corrupt ways. The stress of his battle with the newspaper causes Guru to have a
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
, and he is paralysed on his right side. Meanwhile, Meenu, who is now married to Shyam, is slowly weakening from her illness and eventually dies. In the end, Guru is brought before a private government inquiry on 16 October 1980, to defend himself against the charges pressed against him. However, the next day before the verdict, he tells the judges and the press that he is an ordinary villager who doesn't even understand the meanings of excise duty, customs, and sales tax. All he knew was his business; however, the corrupt system made sure that a villager doesn't become a rich businessman. As a result, he had to indulge in corrupt practices by giving bribes or cower the bureaucrats and ministers. Realizing his intent and potential, and the corruption ridden in the system, the judges are forced to clear him of 27 of the 29 charges against him. He is charged with a fine of ₹6.3 million (equivalent to ₹100 million or US$1.6 million in 2016) and ₹96,000 (equivalent to ₹1.6 million or US$24,000 in 2016) for the respective two charges, which are proved, and is allowed to return to his company. The movie ends with Guru telling Shakti's shareholders that his father was proven wrong as he said dreams don't turn true, but they all are now a part of India's largest company. Guru asks them if they should stop. Shareholders refuse and resolve to be the largest company in the world instead.


Cast

*
Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...
as Gurukant "Guru" Desai (based on Dhirubhai Ambani) (
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
dubbing by Suriya) *
Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (; Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil films. Rai won the Miss World 1994 pageant and later established herself as one of the most-popu ...
as Sujata "Suju" Desai (based on Kokilaben Ambani) (
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
dubbing by
Rohini Rohini may refer to: People * Rohini (given name), including a list of persons and characters with the name * Rohini (actress) (born 1969), Indian actress, screenwriter, and director * Rohini (Buddha's disciple), female disciple * Rohini (goddes ...
) *
Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, film producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and politician who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. In a career spa ...
as "Nanaji" Manik Dasgupta (based on
Ramnath Goenka Ramnath Goenka (22 April 1904 – 5 October 1991) was an Indian newspaper publisher. He bought the majority stake of ''The Indian Express'' in 1930s. He created the Indian Express Group with various English and regional language publications.'' ...
and Pannalal Dasgupta) (
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
dubbing by Nassar) * R. Madhavan as Shyam Saxena (based on Swaminathan Gurumurthy) *
Vidya Balan Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fil ...
as Meenakshi "Meenu" Saxena (née Dasgupta) *
Roshan Seth Roshan Seth (born 2 April 1942) is a British-Indian actor, writer and theatre director who has worked in the United Kingdom, United States and India. He began his acting career in the early 1960s in the UK, but left acting the following deca ...
as Justice Thapar *
Mallika Sherawat Reema Lamba (born 24 October 1976), better known as Mallika Sherawat, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi language films. Known for her bold onscreen portrayal in films like '' Khwahish'' (2003) and ''Murder'' (2004), Sheraw ...
in a guest appearance as Champa, the dancer in song " Mayya Mayya" *
Arya Babbar Aarya Babbar is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi and Punjabi films. In 2014, Aarya participated in the eighth season of ''Bigg Boss''. Career Aarya Babbar started his film career with Raj Kanwar's '' Ab Ke Baras'' alongside Amrita Rao ...
as Jignesh (based on Champaklal Damani) *
Arjan Bajwa Arjan Bajwa (born 3 September 1979) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi and Telugu films. He made his debut with the Telugu film Sampangi (2001). He transitioned to Hindi films with ''Woh Tera Naam Tha'' (2004) and gained recognit ...
as Arzan Contractor * Rajendra Gupta as Guru's father Kantilal Desai *
Sarita Joshi Sarita Joshi (''née'' Bhosle) is an Indian actress. Cited amongst the finest and most significant actors of Gujarati and Marathi theatre Marathi theatre is theatre in the Marathi language, mostly originating or based in the state of Maha ...
as Guru's stepmother *
Sachin Khedekar Sachin Khedekar (born 14 May 1965) is an Indian actor and director known for his work in Hindi, Marathi and Telugu films. His well-known films include '' Kaksparsh'', '' Astitva'' and Shyam Benegal's '' Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgot ...
as Sujata's father *
Sudhir Pandey Sudhir Pandey is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films, television, and theatre. With a career spanning several decades, he has played a variety of supporting and character roles, often portraying fathers, uncles, or author ...
as Mathura Das *
Neena Kulkarni Neena Kulkarni (née Joshi) is an Indian actress who is known for her work on Marathi and Hindi films, television and stage productions. She has received several awards including a National Film Award, Maharashtra State Film Awards and three F ...
as Tulsiben, Sujata's mother * Prathap K. Pothan as K. R. Menon I.A.S. *
Darshan Jariwala Darshan Jariwala (born 29 September 1958) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films, television and stage. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Gandhi, My Father''. He is popular for his show in which he was seen ...
as cashier Anand Palekar * Sanjay Mishra as Chhagan, Guru's senior in Turkey * Manoj Joshi as Ghanshyam Das *
Dhritiman Chatterjee Dhritiman Chatterjee is an Indian actor. He began his acting career in 1970 as the protagonist of Satyajit Ray's (''The Adversary''). Most of his acting work has been in India's "parallel", or independent, cinema with filmmakers such as Satyaj ...
as Contractor (based on Naval Tata) * Sanjay Swaraj as Guru's brother * T. M. Karthik as Doctor * Anaushka Dantra and Ashoi Dantra as Disha Desai and Drishti Desai, Guru's twin daughters * Sunil Agarwal as Ashok Agarwal * Murad Ali * Raviprakash as Bhanu Patel (in voice) * Sunny Subramanian as Young Guru * Mukesh S Bhatt as Ramlal


Production

''Guru'' was written and directed by
Mani Ratnam Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. H ...
, while
Vijay Krishna Acharya Vijay Krishna Acharya is an Indian film director, screenwriter, dialogue writer known for his works in Bollywood, Hindi films and television shows. Personal life Acharya is married to Anusheh Khan, sister of director Kabir Khan (director), Kab ...
wrote the Hindi dialogues. Filming took place in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
,
Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
,
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
,
Badami Badami, formerly known as Vātāpi (Sanskrit: from ''āpi'', ‘friend, ally’; ‘having the wind (vāta) as an ally’; Kannada script: ವಾತಾಪಿ), is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district o ...
and Melkote (both in
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
), as well as in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
,
Pollachi Pollachi is a town and municipality in Coimbatore district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Pollachi taluk. It is situated near the center of the South Indian Peninsula, surrounded by Western Gha ...
,
Chettinad Chettinad (also known as Chettinadu) is a name that collectively refers to a locality that comprises 56 villages in the Sivaganga district and 20 villages in Pudukkottai district, Pudukottai district, which was historically ruled by the Ramnad ...
region
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, and
Athirappilly Athirappilly is a first grade Grama Panchayath with 489.00 km2 area in Chalakudy Taluk, Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is located 60 km from Thrissur city, 70 km northeast of Kochi city, 55 km northeast of Cochin In ...
in Kerala. Much of the film was shot on the Express Estates, the former home of ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' and ''
Dinamani ''Dinamani'' is a Tamil daily newspaper. The newspaper was established in 1933 and is owned by The New Indian Express Group. The first edition was published on 11 September. The printed circulation was 12,44,568 as on Aug 2022 and 11,52,546 onl ...
''. The music is composed by
A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...
, with lyrics by
Gulzar Gulzar (born Sampooran Singh Kalra; 18 August 1934) is an Indian Urdu poetry, Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this era. He starte ...
. Cinematography for the film is handled by
Rajiv Menon Rajiv Menon (born 20 April 1963) is an Indian filmmaker who has worked as a director and cinematographer in several Indian regional film industries. After making his breakthrough as a film cinematographer with Mani Ratnam's Tamil drama ''Bombay' ...
. Several scenes were deleted from the final theatrical version, including a scene in which Sujata first gives birth to a stillborn child and a scene in which Guru becomes angry with his wife for visiting Manik Dasgupta. ''Guru'' has others involved in the production as a film that is reflective of a man's desire for ambition and success, and how times have changed from the period immediately after the country's independence to the present. Some reports have speculated that this film is a biographical film of, one of India's biggest industrial tycoons, Dhirubhai Ambani. Like Guru, Ambani also had roots in Gujarat as the son of a schoolteacher, went abroad to work for the gas company Shell, and returned to India to import polyester. Ratnam has described ''Guru'' as inspired by stories both past and present. The less known fact is that, the role of R. Madhavan is based on Swaminathan Gurumurthy, who along with
Ramnath Goenka Ramnath Goenka (22 April 1904 – 5 October 1991) was an Indian newspaper publisher. He bought the majority stake of ''The Indian Express'' in 1930s. He created the Indian Express Group with various English and regional language publications.'' ...
worked to expose Reliance Industries. The title is speculated to be an acknowledgement of this fact, where in his name is playfully swapped with Ambani's character. In real life, Gurumurthy has twin daughters much like the Guru character in the movie.


Reception


Box office

''Guru'' opened well upon release, gaining momentum over time. In the United States, ''Guru,'' opening on a limited release, registered good collections in its opening weekend, fetching during this period, with a high screen average. By its seventh week, the film had netted in India, collecting in the US and the UK. As of 23 February 2007, ''Guru'', having released 12 January, has grossed more than across the world and was declared a "hit" at the box office. In the United States, it was a blockbuster.


Critical reception

''Guru'' received positive reviews from critics, with widespread praise for Abhishek Bachchan's performance.
Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media, as well as his reviews for Bollywood Hungama. Career Taran Adarsh started his journ ...
of ''
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...
'' gave 4/5 stars and wrote "''Guru'' ranks as one of Mani Ratnam's finest efforts and one of the best to come out of Hindi cinema," and praised actors performances writing "Reserve all the awards for Bachchan. No two opinions on that! His performance in ''Guru'' is world class and without doubt. From a sharp teenager in Turkey to the biggest entrepreneur of the country, Bachchan handles the various shades his character demands with adroitness." ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' gave 3/4 stars and wrote "You might think it would be difficult to fashion an entertaining account of the life of a polyester manufacturer, even a fictitious one. But director Mani Ratnam has done so with ''Guru'', an epic paean to can-do spirit and Mumbai capitalism."
Rajeev Masand Rajeev Masand (born 13 March 1976) is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films rel ...
of ''
CNN-IBN CNN News18 is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides international coverage for the c ...
'' gave 4/5 stars explaining "The beauty of Mani Ratnam's cinema is truly in its unpredictability. Few filmmakers can translate their personal vision onto screen the way Mani Ratnam can. So that's two thumbs up for Guru – it's a must-watch for all. Of the film's cast, Chakraborty playing the ruthless newspaper baron, deserves mention for the dignity which he brings to the part, one that's clearly inspired by ''Indian Express'' founder Ramnath Goenka. The actor in this film who truly blew my mind, is Rai. There is a silent grace, quiet nobility to her performance, which I have to admit I've never seen before. Of course, the film belongs to Bachchan, the protagonist, Guru himself. And in all honesty, Bachchan rises to the challenge like never before." '' Los Angeles Weekly'' termed it as the best Hindi film since ''
Lagaan ''Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India'', or simply ''Lagaan'', () is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language epic period musical sports drama film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film was produced by Aamir Khan, who stars alongside debuta ...
'' (2001)''.''
Richard Corliss Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American film critic and magazine editor for ''Time''. He focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects. He was the former editor-in-chief of ''Film Comment ...
of ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' compared the film to
Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...
's '' It's a Wonderful Life'' and said that one of the main highlights of the film was its climax. This Guru is more like a fine polyester. He further noted, "Ash's film eminence remains a mystery. No question she's pretty, but she's more an actress-model than a model-actress. In ''Guru'', she's mainly ornamentation". ''Hindustan Times'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Ratnam and Bachchan Jr have given you a film that’s as close to life as say, business is to politics. For the discerning viewer, satisfaction is guaranteed. and some more. Rai is marvellous, handling complex scenes with grace and empathy. Above all, the enterprise belongs to Bachchan. He is astonishingly nuanced and unwaveringly forceful in his career-best performance after ''Yuva'' (2004)." Raja Sen of ''
Rediff Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote "''Guru'' is fuelled by a slew of strong performances. Bachchan owns the movie, forcing audiences to sit up straight as it begins and making us laugh and applaud as he carries on. He's impressive in every frame, as he ebulliently takes over an alien room by hopping onto a chair, or when he's trying to be ever so slightly slimy, polishing his spectacles and showing off his smarminess". ''
Daily News and Analysis The ''Daily News and Analysis'', abbreviated as ''DNA'', is a Hindi-language news program on Zee news that was earlier an English-language newspaper with multiple local city editions across India. ''DNA'' was first launched as a broadsheet newsp ...
'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote "''Guru'' is a film that enthralls you for most of its running time as it traces the life of the uncannily forward seeing bumpkin from Gujarat who turns every disadvantage into an advantage. With ''Guru'', Bachchan has finally learnt the nuances of the grammar of cinema, in what will very likely be his defining film". ''
Sify Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology (ICT) company providing telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation integration services, and ...
'' gave the verdict "Very Good" and write "Mani Ratnam’s ''Guru'' is undoubtedly a gutsy and outstanding film. Outstanding performance is extracted from everyone in the cast." ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' wrote "''Guru'' is vintage Mani Ratnam. It encapsulates his characteristic canniness about human nature, specifically relationships. This is considered Abhishek Bachchan's role of a lifetime." ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' wrote "It is certainly one of the best Bollywood movies you will see. Performances attract admiration: Bachchan does a De Niro, piling on the dosas to show the ageing and overweight Guru and he is, surprisingly, impressive. Rai sheds her usual doe-eyed expressions and is endearing as the supportive but fiery wife, who looks and dances like an angel. Chakraborty and Tamil superstar Madhavan shine equally brightly in underwritten supporting roles". Jaspreet Pandohar of ''
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
'' gave 3/5 and wrote "Ratnam's absorbing screenplay ensures that Guru rises above the usual rags to riches story, by weaving in meaty subplots involving the protagonist's complex relationships with his loyal wife (Rai), friends and foes".


Accolades


Soundtrack

The soundtrack for this film is composed by A. R. Rahman. For his work in this film, A. R. Rahman received awards for Best Music Director and Best Background Score at the
53rd Filmfare Awards The 53rd Filmfare Awards organized by Filmfare, honored the best Bollywood films of 2007. It took place on 16 February 2008 at the Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai. ''Guru'' led the ceremony with 14 nominations, followed by '' Chak De! India'' with ...
as well as the 9th IIFA awards. According to the Indian trade website ''
Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry. Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...
'', with around 11,50,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's twelfth highest-selling.


See also

* List of Bollywood films of 2007


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guru (2007 Film) 2007 films Films shot in Kerala Films set in 1951 Films set in the 1960s Films set in the 1970s Films set in 1980 2000s Hindi-language films Films directed by Mani Ratnam Indian drama films 2000s business films Films shot in Madurai Films shot in Turkey Films shot in Mumbai Films scored by A. R. Rahman Films shot in Chalakudy 2007 drama films Films shot in Thrissur Films produced by Mani Ratnam