Comments on: Polyester vs. Khadi: Guru

by: filmiholic

Sat, 26 May 2007 21:58:27 +0000

Hi Yves,

Thanks! And thanks for stopping by.

I thought she was better in this movie than I’ve seen her in anything in a long time; less strained, less chilly, more natural.

by: yves

Sat, 26 May 2007 15:31:14 +0000

Hi Maria,

In fact I’m just jotting this down to say i’m enjoying your blog! Hum, about Aishwarya Rai, would you mind telling me what you think?
I’ll also try and “do” something on Mani Ratnam soon.

by: sanjay

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 15:01:04 +0000

Someone told me there was a lot of The Aviator in the movie.

As for the brother character and the Vidya & Madhavan characters, you have to know some of the background to the Ambani & Goenka saga, though Mithun’s character seems to be a combination of Goenka and Arun Shourie. Madhavan is Gurumurthy.

If you know some of the (inside) story of Reliance, the script follows it rather very closely. There is a big retrospective whitewashing effort, in my book, Ambani was brilliant, but still a crook.

by: beth

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 23:44:27 +0000

Yes, VERY Al Pacino. I had Godfather thoughts throughout the whole film, actually.

by: filmiholic

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 15:10:05 +0000

Hi Neelam, yes, exactly, that’s what I was pointing to, the TamilNad license plate.

by: Neelam

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 11:38:32 +0000

This is about your comment on one of the photos (”By the way, note the license plate in this shot.”)

This picture is one of those taken on the sets in Chennai and is not part of the official movie stills. That’s why you see TN (Tamil Nadu) in the number plate and also a modern car in the foreground.

by: filmiholic

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 06:42:57 +0000

Thanks, DG. I also thought it interesting that the character of Guru not only disobeys his father’s wishes, but he goes on to prove with his success that his father was wrong. I guess if one wanted to do some armchair psychoanalysis, one could suppose that Mithunda’s character became a surrogate father for Guru, and the two men’s opposition to each other was the separation that most fathers and sons go through when the son grows up an asserts himself…

[SPOILER AHEAD]

Krishna, thanks for stopping by. About the ending, do you think that perhaps Mani had it that way so as to show how (to his dismay) even members of the judiciary are prone to worrying about public opinion (a la when Seth says to the other members, in effect, “Well, we can’t crucify him now, can we?”) and give him just a slap on the wrist instead.

by: Krishna

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 06:20:15 +0000

Lovely dissection - I think it stands to reason that someone like DA can’t be picturized on screen without using generous doses of sepia. There is a greater case to be made for the balance shown.

But did he have to be made a demi-god at the end? I am pretty sure this issue has been raised already - but it is very very pertinent. I think someone gave in to temptation there - after carefully treading the middle ground until then.

by: Daddy's Girl

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:30:07 +0000

Thanks for a very interesting review and great pictures. I just saw this move yesterday, and it’s interesting how 2 people can see the same movie and take totally different impressions away. I saw the characters differently, especially Mithun’s character, who I didn’t see as resentful but more just frustrated and disillusioned; but I can totally understand and appreciate your views. There probably was some resentment there.
I agree that, for once, the chemistry was ‘there’ between Abhishek and Aishwarya… and you’re right, she’s definitely thawing. This is the first role I’ve really loved seeing her take on.
And I definitely agree that Ratnam hasn’t made a hagiographic film. In my view, Guru is not a perfect hero or an aspirational ideal, he’s very much a ‘real’ man… and I think Ratnam went to some length to show that Guru has his issues. Yes, he has the ‘courage’ to pursue his dreams - something worth emulating; but it would be a shame to miss all the complexity and depth Ratnam tried to give the character… and which I think Abhishek interpreted beautifully.
Abhishek is great in this movie… I think comparisons to his father are inevitable, because as you say, he looks and sounds like him - but I do think he is very distinct as an actor. Watching ‘Guru’, I felt like Abhishek was able to display his very different ’style’ (for want of a better word) as an actor, while remaining his father’s son in sound and appearance. I think he’s finally carving a niche for himself - and not as an Amitabh clone (AB 2.0), just as Abhishek. Good on him.

by: filmiholic

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:25:03 +0000

Thanks, Joseph.

One thing those Rotten Tomatoes guys got wrong are the credits over the poster on the left…. instead of Master Bachchan, it says “John Abraham”!

Appreciate the suggestion, will have to see, a lot on my plate at the moment….