Ever since Mani Ratnam's 'Yuva', I've lost my positive expectations for his films. My feelings were similar for 'Guru' but people kept mentioning what a masterpiece it was. So I decided to give it a chance. Sadly, the movie is miles away from being a masterpiece. I am not saying that it is bad. For me it is just a one time watch. The movie drags on mostly with its tiringly sluggish pace. At parts it is very boring. Mani Ratnam's direction is OK. It just simply does not compare to his earlier works like 'Roja', 'Bumbai' and 'Dil se'. Another point where these three films succeeded and where 'Guru' fails is the performances from the protagonists.
Abhishek certainly has tried to give his best for Guru but that just is not good enough. He is okay in a few scenes, he hams a lot at most parts and he is wooden at the rest. Also someone should tell Abhishek that to play a more mature character, only makeup is not enough. However, it is highly likely that he will win best actor for this movie. In my opinion, he is a complete miscast. To date I would say his best performance (and only decent performance) is in 'Phir Milenge'. Aishwarya gets no scope. She is cast as a typical heroine (in a male biopic) and lacks the ability to make something extraordinary out of something ordinary. There is a lack of chemistry between the lovers.
In contrast, Vidya Balan's character is totally insignificant to the main plot but she shines above all and more than makes her presence felt by delivering an excellent performance. Mithun is outstanding and Madhavan is brilliant.
A.R. Rahman's score is good. However, this is far from his best work. The Maiya Maiya item number was completely irrelevant. What was Mallika Sherawat doing there playing a Turkish girl who's singing in Arabic? Background score was overused and at times ruins the moments of the scenes. The movie is very predictable. In my opinion, this is already one of the most overrated movies of the year.
Abhishek certainly has tried to give his best for Guru but that just is not good enough. He is okay in a few scenes, he hams a lot at most parts and he is wooden at the rest. Also someone should tell Abhishek that to play a more mature character, only makeup is not enough. However, it is highly likely that he will win best actor for this movie. In my opinion, he is a complete miscast. To date I would say his best performance (and only decent performance) is in 'Phir Milenge'. Aishwarya gets no scope. She is cast as a typical heroine (in a male biopic) and lacks the ability to make something extraordinary out of something ordinary. There is a lack of chemistry between the lovers.
In contrast, Vidya Balan's character is totally insignificant to the main plot but she shines above all and more than makes her presence felt by delivering an excellent performance. Mithun is outstanding and Madhavan is brilliant.
A.R. Rahman's score is good. However, this is far from his best work. The Maiya Maiya item number was completely irrelevant. What was Mallika Sherawat doing there playing a Turkish girl who's singing in Arabic? Background score was overused and at times ruins the moments of the scenes. The movie is very predictable. In my opinion, this is already one of the most overrated movies of the year.