Warning : Spoilers ahead
'Guru' is a story of an ordinary man with extra-ordinary ambition and determination who turns from a visionary to a conqueror. Gurukant Desai (Abhishek Bachchan) is a school drop-out and he leaves for Turkey to work for a European company where he learns the nuances of the textile and petrol trade. He then returns to India to embark upon his own business venture much against his father's wish. He marries his friend's sister Sujatha (Aishwarys Rai), for the dowry which serves as the capital for his business.
Guru, along with his wife and brother-in-law, leaves for Bombay, the world of business in India, open only to the rich. He fights the aristocracy with the help of a newspaper proprietor, Manikdas Gupta (Mithun Ckakravarthy) who is very much impressed with the enteprising young man. Guru succeeds in making a mark for himself as 'Gurubhai'.
Gurubhai starts the Shakthi Corporation which grows into a multi-locational monolith. For the first time in the Indian business history, he ushures in the concept of multi-share holding ownership.
Manikdas Gupta is highly dissatisfied with the unethical business practices of Gurubahi and commands his favourite reporter Syham Saxena (Madhvan), who is also against Gurubahi's ideologies, to dig deep and expose Gurubhai.
The high-point of the movie is Gurubahi's thought-provoking outburst at the commission of enquiry where he justifies the means of his success.
Abhishek Bachchan hogs the limelight with his unparalleled performance. He emerges as a diligent, compassionate and pragmatic individual. His expressions explicitly articulate his emotions and the audience is enraptured by his powerful performance. He is truly a chip of the old block.
Aishwarya Rai deserves accolade for her remarkable rendition sans histrionics. She sails through with grace and refinement that befits the Bachchan family.
Mithun Chakravarthy acts with elan that proves that the spark is still alive in him. 'Guru' is his memorable comeback.
Madhavan's performance enamours the audience and holds them spellbound and makes one wish that his role could have been stronger.
Vidhya Balan's supporting role as Meena, a vivacious young girl with Multiple Sclerosis, is to highlight Gurubhai's sensitivity and she does justice to her role. The on-screen chemistry between Vidhya and Madhavan holds one captive.
The 'Guru' soundtrack affirms that A. R. Rehman is undoubtedly one of the ingenious contemporary musicians. Songs like 'Tere bina' and 'Ey Hairathe' are intoxicating. 'Barso re', 'Jaage hain', 'Mayya', 'Ek lo ek muft' and 'Baazi laga' prove Rehman's class, yet again.
Mani Ratnam has captured subtlety of characters in his own inimitable style that is gripping and impeccable. The movie bears the impress of a strong personality. No role is underplayed or unjustified. The movie attenuates and lacks depth in few scenes. But, on the whole, the movie is charaterful with brilliant screenplay, great music and amazing photography. It is truly an exceptional stagecraft by a director of great ingenuity and outstanding finesse.
