By Rediff, January 12, 2007 - 14:22 IST
17 of 47 people found this review helpful This is irresponsible filmmaking coming from a director of such stature. It's disappointing seeing a non-biopic turn into such hagiography, and while it works completely -- save for a slightly winded second half -- as a masala film, it really had the potential to be Fantastic. It isn't.
By Indiaglitz, January 12, 2007 - 14:26 IST
16 of 20 people found this review helpful Guru is a film beyond Box Office. It’s a film which comes your way once in a life time. Not everybody shall like it. For it’s not traditional entertainment. But if cinema is more than mere fun for you, then you shall surely treasure Guru. For a long time to come. Watch-it-for-sure-today!
By Jam Mag, January 13, 2007 - 04:22 IST
15 of 19 people found this review helpful It is said that reality is more exciting than fiction. I agree. After watching Guru, I agree wholeheartedly. Films like Guru take you on a higher plane, without being too arty. It's the kind of film where the end is only incidental; it's the process in which you reach there that really matters.
By Allbollywood, January 13, 2007 - 04:24 IST
9 of 12 people found this review helpful Mani Ratnam-a name synonymous with class, quality, and classics brings to celluloid his latest magnum opus which came with sky high expectations and searing hype-does Ratnams vision live up to expectations? Yes, yes and yes!
By Ibnlive, January 13, 2007 - 04:32 IST
9 of 12 people found this review helpful From start to finish, from opening credits to end roll, director Mani Ratnam's new film Guru is a more-or-less accurate documentation of late industrialist and Reliance Industries founder Dhirubhai Ambani's life.
By MTV India, January 13, 2007 - 05:08 IST
8 of 12 people found this review helpful This film belongs to Abhishek. Period. He carries the sometimes shaky film, with great panache - even the negative shades of his characters are wonderfully potrayed. Ash is just about tolerable while Mithun is first-rate. Yes, the film is clearly based on Dhirubhai's life. And what's with the final speech of Guru - a guy who runs international petrochemicals business doesn't understand terms like "excise" when spoken in English? A pacy first half, a slow second half, some excessive melodrama and a letdown of a climax is what sums up this film.
By Indya, January 13, 2007 - 04:56 IST
6 of 8 people found this review helpful Gurukant Desai's (Abhishek), school headmaster father from Idar village, Gujrat, tells him don't believe in dreams because they never come true. But, he dares to dream big. His hunger for fulfilling his dreams takes him to Turkey where he starts of as an employee in an oil company. Just when he gets promoted to a good post after working for seven years he leaves it all to come back to India and start his own business. He gets married to his childhood friend Jignesh's (Arya Babbar) sister Sujata (Aishwarya) so that from the dowry money he can set up his own business in Mumbai.
By Now Running, January 13, 2007 - 04:42 IST
5 of 9 people found this review helpful The movie is about life of Gurukant Desai (Abhishek Bachchan), a dreamer, who lives in a small village and believes in dreaming high. The movie shows how GURU becomes India's top businessman from a small time worker in Turkey. You will find many similarities between the character GURU and Dhirubhai Ambani, be it paralysis attack or being constantly in the news with various allegations.
By Mid-Day, January 13, 2007 - 05:22 IST
5 of 9 people found this review helpful All that brouhaha about Mani Ratnam’s Guru being based on Dhirubhai Ambani life was not unjustified after all. The striking similarities are rather obvious and thankfully, the sensibility of the director salvages it from becoming a dreary documentary.
The film focuses on the rags-to-riches story of Gurukanth Desai (Abhishek Bachchan), the son of a failed businessman-turned-school master who goes abroad in search of his big dream.
By Express India, January 13, 2007 - 04:26 IST
5 of 8 people found this review helpful If it's Mani Ratnam, it has to be good! And his latest venture just reconfirms this popular belief. Perhaps it's as close to perfect as anyone can get. But folks, if the director is worthy of such acclaim, the actor deserves no less appreciation.
By Hindustan Times, January 13, 2007 - 05:00 IST
5 of 8 people found this review helpful That’s writer-director Mani Ratnam’s Guru – a more than obvious but unacknowledged biopic on the rise, fall and rise of Dhirubhai Ambani. Wonderful. It’s quite a story salt-`n’-peppered with romance, high drama and unbridled ambition, filmed with a reliance on research and authenticity.
By Filmfare / Times of India / Indiatimes, January 13, 2007 - 05:11 IST
5 of 8 people found this review helpful It’s not just Mani Ratnam or Abshihek Bachchan, or the central character ‘bearing’ an uncanny resemblance to any famous industrialist, that makes ‘Guru’ look outstanding but the spectacular showcase of the spirit of a common man to succeed against all odds, that makes Guru the substantial film it is.
By Businessofcinema, January 13, 2007 - 04:52 IST
4 of 7 people found this review helpful This is the week you are just glad to have the option of watching a movie that does not bore you or kill you. Guru has released all over.
There is film and there is cinema, Guru is the latter. A cinema that has truly raised the bar of what Bollywood cinemas should aim to be.
Guru set in the 50’s till the 90’s orbits around the life of Gurukant Desai (Abhishek Bachchan) a middle class man with the dream of making it big in life, a dream of being better than the best.
By Indiatarget, January 15, 2007 - 04:10 IST
4 of 7 people found this review helpful 'Guru' is one of the rare occasions when Mani, Rahman & Gulzar have come together. Loosely based on the life of Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani, in the film Abhisekh playing the role of the late business icon, but is there no official confirmation.
By Music N Movies, January 13, 2007 - 05:15 IST
3 of 6 people found this review helpful Guru is an Abhishek Bachchan show all the way. Abhishek has grown as an actor and it shows. We can see the glimpses of genius in this show (like Big B in Zanzeer), where he will be a contender for best actor in 2008 awards. Aiswarya is as usual delivers a ok performance but gossip mongers will be disappointed to see NO ELECTRICITY between the hush hush couple. Vidya Balan and Madhavan gave what the script required from them. After Chingari, Midhun Chakraborthy delivers another fine performance in this film. Mallika Sherawat gives a hot number in Turkish background.
By IdleBrain, January 24, 2007 - 04:26 IST
2 of 4 people found this review helpful irst half of the film is first rate. The tempo goes down a bit in the middle of second half. The climax of the film is excellent. The making of biographies is all about condensing the lifetime work to three hours of narration. Hence, Mani Ratnam conveniently skipped some issues (the aftermath of Guru’s quarrel with his brother-in-law; showing how Guru made crores of rupees etc). He also played it to the galleries by telling how bureaucracy is killing the spirits of new entrepreneurs by saying that India prefers to beg money from world bank than becoming financially self reliant using progressive financial policies. On a whole, Guru might not be liked by an average moviegoer who likes entertainment, but it is a treat for true film aficionados. Guru is a classic! Period.
By WithoutGivingTheMovieAway, January 22, 2007 - 10:50 IST
1 of 2 people found this review helpful Guru does not have an earth-shattering story, which is what makes the movie look real. But, it does have a few glaring loopholes with gaps in the plot and thus leaves the audience with questions. E.g., the audience is not told the exact manner in which Guru succeeds. Abhishek and Aishwarya switch in and out of the Gujrati accent and the lack of continuity is obvious. Also, cinematic liberty has been taken while handling technical medical issues of certain characters. All of which could have been forgiven had the climax had impact.
By Mag4you, January 15, 2007 - 04:38 IST
Abhishek Bachchan deserves an award - Excellent acting. Aishwarya Rai was also very good. The acting was just too natural. I had a fear that they might not fit well in Gujarati characters but I am really happy that they proved me wrong.
By Bollyspice, May 9, 2007 - 10:11 IST
Abhishek as Guru is not only going to remain one of the best performances of this year, but one of the best of all time. There is always a particular character or role an actor is forever remembered for. In Abhishek’s case, that role will be of Guru...
