Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

The Guru

  • 19691969
  • GG
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
165
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Guru (1969)
Britain's top pop artiste, Tom Pickle, travels to Bombay, India, circa 1960s to learn to play the sitar (musical instrument) from renowned maestro Ustad Zafar Khan. Tom is taken to Zafar's home, where he gets to meet his wife and several daughters, and the maestro himself. Zafar never has had a disciple as Tom, and is clearly disappointed with his lack of respect. Nevertheless, he asks him to travel to Banares with him. Also accompanying them is a young Caucasian woman named Jenny, who Zafar has taken a liking to, much to his wife's displeasure, and who is more respectful of him than Tom. In Banaras, they get to meet Zafar's aging Guru, and his mistress, Ghazala, who is expecting a child soon. Zafar hopes that it will be a son. Zafar's Guru is quite disappointed with him for having Tom and Jenny as his disciples. An over-awed and overwrought Jenny decides to take it easy - and it is then she witnesses the murder of a courtesan. Watch as events unfold in this peaceful town of Banaras that will change the lives and thought-processes of Zafar, Tom, and Jenny, forever.
Play trailer2:42
1 Video
13 Photos
  • Comedy

Britain's top pop artiste, Tom Pickle, travels to Bombay, India, circa 1960s to learn to play the sitar (musical instrument) from renowned maestro Ustad Zafar Khan. Tom is taken to Zafar's h... Read allBritain's top pop artiste, Tom Pickle, travels to Bombay, India, circa 1960s to learn to play the sitar (musical instrument) from renowned maestro Ustad Zafar Khan. Tom is taken to Zafar's home, where he gets to meet his wife and several daughters, and the maestro himself. Zafar ... Read allBritain's top pop artiste, Tom Pickle, travels to Bombay, India, circa 1960s to learn to play the sitar (musical instrument) from renowned maestro Ustad Zafar Khan. Tom is taken to Zafar's home, where he gets to meet his wife and several daughters, and the maestro himself. Zafar never has had a disciple as Tom, and is clearly disappointed with his lack of respect. Nev... Read all

IMDb RATING
5.4/10
165
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • James Ivory
  • Writers
    • Ruth Prawer Jhabvala(story written for the screen by)
    • James Ivory(story written for the screen by)
  • Stars
    • Rita Tushingham
    • Michael York
    • Utpal Dutt
Top credits
  • Director
    • James Ivory
  • Writers
    • Ruth Prawer Jhabvala(story written for the screen by)
    • James Ivory(story written for the screen by)
  • Stars
    • Rita Tushingham
    • Michael York
    • Utpal Dutt
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Guru (1969) Trailer
    Trailer 2:42
    The Guru (1969) Trailer

    Photos13

    The Guru (1969)
    Zohra Sehgal in The Guru (1969)
    Utpal Dutt in The Guru (1969)
    Barry Foster and Rita Tushingham in The Guru (1969)
    Michael York in The Guru (1969)
    Michael York and Utpal Dutt in The Guru (1969)
    The Guru (1969)
    Michael York, Utpal Dutt, and Rita Tushingham in The Guru (1969)
    Michael York and Utpal Dutt in The Guru (1969)
    Rita Tushingham in The Guru (1969)
    Michael York, Utpal Dutt, James Ivory, and Rita Tushingham in The Guru (1969)
    The Guru (1969)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rita Tushingham
    Rita Tushingham
    • Jennyas Jenny
    Michael York
    Michael York
    • Tom Pickleas Tom Pickle
    Utpal Dutt
    Utpal Dutt
    • Ustal Zafar Khanas Ustal Zafar Khan
    Madhur Jaffrey
    Madhur Jaffrey
    • Begum Sahibaas Begum Sahiba
    Barry Foster
    Barry Foster
    • Chrisas Chris
    Aparna Sen
    Aparna Sen
    • Ghazalaas Ghazala
    Zohra Sehgal
    Zohra Sehgal
    • Mastanias Mastani
    • (as Zohra Segal)
    Saeed Jaffrey
    Saeed Jaffrey
    • Muradas Murad
    Nana Palsikar
    Nana Palsikar
    • The Guru's Guruas The Guru's Guru
    Nadira
    Nadira
    • Courtesanas Courtesan
    Leela Naidu
    Leela Naidu
    • Girl at the Partyas Girl at the Party
    Usha Katrah
    • Lady Reporteras Lady Reporter
    Fred Ohringer
    • Howardas Howard
    Nargis Cowalsji
    • Society Hostessas Society Hostess
    Marcus Murch
    • Snide Guestas Snide Guest
    Dorothy Strelsin
    • Touristas Tourist
    Ismail Merchant
    Ismail Merchant
    • Master Of Ceremoniesas Master Of Ceremonies
    Rafi Ameer
    • Arnold D'Melloas Arnold D'Mello
    • Director
      • James Ivory
    • Writers
      • Ruth Prawer Jhabvala(story written for the screen by)
      • James Ivory(story written for the screen by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Shakespeare-Wallah
    6.8
    Shakespeare-Wallah
    Bombay Talkie
    5.6
    Bombay Talkie
    The Householder
    6.8
    The Householder
    Savages
    5.5
    Savages
    The Europeans
    6.2
    The Europeans
    Smashing Time
    6.0
    Smashing Time
    Jane Austen in Manhattan
    4.7
    Jane Austen in Manhattan
    Roseland
    5.9
    Roseland
    The Wild Party
    5.4
    The Wild Party
    Heat and Dust
    6.5
    Heat and Dust
    Autobiography of a Princess
    5.9
    Autobiography of a Princess
    Slaves of New York
    5.6
    Slaves of New York

    Storyline

    Edit
    Britain's top pop artiste, Tom Pickle, travels to Bombay, India, circa 1960s to learn to play the sitar (musical instrument) from renowned maestro Ustad Zafar Khan. Tom is taken to Zafar's home, where he gets to meet his wife and several daughters, and the maestro himself. Zafar never has had a disciple as Tom, and is clearly disappointed with his lack of respect. Nevertheless, he asks him to travel to Banares with him. Also accompanying them is a young Caucasian woman named Jenny, who Zafar has taken a liking to, much to his wife's displeasure, and who is more respectful of him than Tom. In Banaras, they get to meet Zafar's aging Guru, and his mistress, Ghazala, who is expecting a child soon. Zafar hopes that it will be a son. Zafar's Guru is quite disappointed with him for having Tom and Jenny as his disciples. An over-awed and overwrought Jenny decides to take it easy - and it is then she witnesses the murder of a courtesan. Watch as events unfold in this peaceful town of Banaras that will change the lives and thought-processes of Zafar, Tom, and Jenny, forever. —rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)
    • india
    • sitar
    • independent film
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Comedy
    • Certificate
      • G
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      One of eight productions that Indian actor Saeed Jaffrey made with Merchant Ivory Productions. The films include The Guru (1969), The Delhi Way (1964), Heat and Dust (1983), The Deceivers (1988), The Sword and the Flute (1959), The Courtesans of Bombay (1983), The Creation of Woman (1961), and Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978).
    • Connections
      Featured in The Wandering Company (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Tom's Boat Song
      By Ustad Imrat Khan (as Ustad Imrat Hussein Khan), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (as R. Prawer Jhabvala)

      Performed by Michael York (uncredited)

    User reviews7

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Ivory again explores the conflicted relationship between India and the west
    This is a very good film. I'm not sure what people don't like about it, other than the common complaint that it lacks plot. Obviously that's not valid criticism, since by that measure, we'd have to write off much of Bergman, Buñuel, Fellini, Tarkovsky, Godard, Pasolini, Antonioni, Resnais, Marker, Jodorowsky, Fassbinder, Herzog, Cassavetes, Brakhage, Frampton, Akerman, et cetera. Plot has never been an integral part of the cinematic experience, and so I'm not sure where this very American misconception comes from, other than that it clearly started with Griffith, and evolved over time so much that, for many viewers who haven't opened themselves to the full spectrum of the cinema, it remains an unfortunate reality of filmgoing.

    That being said, "The Guru" really doesn't lack plot. Granted, it's not Wyler or Ford or Hawks, but there's as much plot in "The Guru" as there is in most Satyajit Ray. However, I can see how the film might disappoint the plot-addicts of the world, and since that constitutes the vast majority of viewers these days, maybe it was always destined to be an under-appreciated film. Its strengths lie elsewhere, in its themes, its ambiance, and its incredibly lucid depiction of two disparate cultures that have been thrown together since the dawn of British colonialism, but are just beginning to learn to truly live together. In that way, it is very similar to Ivory's last feature film, "Shakespeare Wallah", which was a better film overall, but "The Guru" doesn't miss the mark by much.

    Ivory's early work was impressive. He made three beautiful documentary shorts between 1957 and 1964 -- "Venice: Themes and Variations", "The Sword and the Flute", and "The Delhi Way" -- and yet Ivory's best work from this time period was certainly his feature fictions. Clearly influenced by Satyajit Ray (and borrowing his brilliant cinematographer, Subrata Mitra, for all of his early films), Ivory's first feature film was "The Householder" in 1963. It's a lighthearted but emotionally evocative work that calls to mind Ray's "The World of Apu". And while all of Ivory's films from this time period are about India, "The Householder" was notable for being a solely Indian production ("Shakespeare Wallah" and "Bombay Talkie" were American productions, and "The Guru" is an Indian-American coproduction).

    While "The Householder" was undoubtedly a very good film, "Shakespeare Wallah", Ivory's second feature (for which he hired Satyajit Ray himself to do the film's music), saw Ivory taking a significant step forwards, and beginning a process that he would continue with "The Guru": the thorough exploration of the relationship between India and western culture (Ivory was the perfect man for the job, given his experience in India combined with his American heritage). I've enjoyed contrasting these two films very much. "Shakespeare Wallah" was a much bleaker film, contemplating the impossibility of these two cultures ever truly coming together in spirit, whereas "The Guru", interestingly, is much more optimistic. The poem quoted in the film says something like, "Your path lies here, and mine there, but how can we ever truly be apart, when we are connected in spirit?" And so without backpedaling on his previous film's ideas (rather, expanding on them), Ivory suggests, in "The Guru", that the shared history of these two contrasting cultures can overcome any barriers that might otherwise separate them. It's a romantic notion, possibly even a naive one, but not by any means an unwelcome one.

    "Shakespeare Wallah" was about displacement, depicting a traveling troupe of British actors in India slowly coming to grips with the reality that they no longer belonged in the India they had come to love and call home. "The Guru" is similar in its portrayal of westerners in India, but at its core it's a very different film. In "The Guru", the westerners call England home, and have to assimilate themselves into an unfamiliar Indian culture. In "Shakespeare Wallah", the westerners are already assimilated into Indian culture at the beginning of the film. Despite being British, they call India home, and the unfamiliar culture that they have to come to grips with is the new India, a changing India that no longer has a place for them. And so "Shakespeare Wallah" is a more complex, and overall a better film.

    Nevertheless, "The Guru", Ivory's third feature, is a rock solid effort. Once again Ray's influence is felt very strongly, especially in the music sequences, which are somewhat reminiscent of "The Music Room". Here's another good opportunity to compare and contrast. In many ways, Ivory's film picks up where Ray's film left off. In "The Music Room", the protagonist is forced to confront an India in which the country's rich traditions and culture are dying at the hands of modernization and globalization. In "The Guru", that process is virtually complete before the film even begins, and the sudden intrusion of a jet airliner against the tranquil Indian landscape in the opening moments of the film, carrying on it a pop superstar from the west, states that reality to us loud and clear, right from the outset.

    The film is gorgeously shot, with magnificent use of color, and its atmosphere and ambiance are fantastic. The final, end-credits sequence is among the most beautiful imagery I've seen in some time. Overall, the film is a delightful meditation on the struggles of two cultures to know each other, to accept each other, and to live together in harmony. It is comprehensive in its observation of all the obstacles that stand in the way, and sympathetic to both cultures, without condemning or condoning anything along the way.

    "The Guru" is not a masterpiece, but it's a very good, perhaps borderline great film that deserves much more love than it's been given. And while it may not be Ivory's best, for anyone looking to explore his oeuvre, this film is absolutely a significant piece of it.

    RATING: 8.33 out of 10 stars
    helpful•4
    0
    • agboone7
    • May 7, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 10, 1969 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • India
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Merchant Ivory Productions (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El gurú
    • Filming locations
      • Benares, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Arcadia Films
      • Merchant Ivory Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1
      • 1.66 : 1
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Saeed Jaffrey: nine essential performances
    Nov 16The Guardian - Film News
    Special Sir Christopher Lee Tribute Screening & 40th Anniversary Screening of The Four Musketeers (1975) in Los Angeles
    Sep 1Cinemaretro.com

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Guru (1969)
    Top Gap
    What is the English language plot outline for The Guru (1969)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.