Toronto might just become Bollywood North. AT least that’s the consensus among throngs of fans who anxiously awaited the arrival of Bollywood royalty at the international premiere of Guru on Thursday night. An estimated 1,200 people-including Toronto Mayor David Miller-bought tickets for $100 to $500, packing the Elgin Theatre to watch the film.
The first Bollywood film to premiere outside of India, Guru-directed by Mani Ratnam and starring Bollywood’s current It couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan-tells the story of a determined young man’s attempt to break into the exclusive world of corporate India, a fiercely hierarchical society still bearing the marks of British colonialism.
Before becoming an actor, Bachchan, who plays the film’s protagonist Gurukant Desai, was a business student at Boston University, dropping out to pursue acting full-time. This experience undoubtedly sharpened his portrayal of a corporate giant-in-the-making. Desai only relaxes his rigid acumen in his special relationship with his devoted wife, Sujatha, (Rai), which the film depicts as light-hearted, relaxed and full of childlike antics.
Rai, whose face is currently plastered on L’Oreal billboards across downtown Toronto, is almost unrecognizable as the glamourless Sujatha in Guru. At one point in the film, a mature Sujatha-who strikingly resembles the late Indira Gandhi-lets Rai’s acting abilities take precedence over her flawless beauty.
Besides the romantic leads, chemistry also crackled between Vidya Balan and R. Madhavan. A kiss between the two drew gasps from the audience still getting used to kissing having lost its taboo status in G-rated Bollywood films over the past few years. The scene was tastefully shot, and the situation warranted a little more than a contrived song-dance number with intermittent costume changes.
Balan plays a girl confined to a wheelchair by multiple sclerosis, who finds solace in Madhavan’s character, a journalist bent on bringing down Desai. Other star appearances include a supporting role by well-known Bollywood veteran Mithun Chakraborty as Manikdas Gupta, and a cameo by actress and model Mallika Sherawat.
Setting the natural beauty of rural India’s scenic landscape against the heavy industrial modernization of the film’s era, Guru stands out as fresh and vibrant-a great accomplishment considering that Bollywood produces over 1,000 films every year.
The film’s score composed by A. R. Rahman delivers a soundtrack with wonderful echoes of his earlier work on films like Sillunu Oru Kaadhal and Anbe Aaruyire. Songs range from Hindi period pieces to thumping Arabic numbers. The lyrical beauty of the vocal lines, coupled with the way they seamlessly melt into harmony, show just why Rahman has earned world-wide recognition.
Still, the immense talent dedicated to the project couldn’t quite overcome a few flaws with the script. The film’s weaknesses included a meandering plotline and sudden jumps in time and place that undoubtedly left a few patrons scratching their heads.
Film review
Guru
Directed by Mani Ratnam
Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai
Rating: VVVv
