Language: Tamil
Director: Mani Ratnam
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Vidya Balan
Music: A. R. Rahman
Lyrics: Vairamuthu

Expectations are always high when a Mani Ratnam film is released. And it was the same with the release of GURU starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya in the lead role.
GURU tells the story of a village boy who dares to dream and how he realizes his dream.

Abhishek Bachchan as Gurukanth Desai is the son of a strict school headmaster. Guru fails in his school leaving examination, but finds himself a job in Turkey. Leaving behind a disappointed father, Guru takes up work in a petroleum company in Turkey as a delivery boy. He is a keen observer and a quick learner and is soon promoted as a sales supervisor. However he quits his job and returns to the country nurturing the dream of starting his own enterprise.

A naive villager fuelled by ambition and dreams Guru builds a corporate empire, the first of its kind in independent India. But in the pursuit of his dreams his character goes through a transition. His unconventional ways of doing business is often questioned by the media baron Manickam Rajagopal whom Guru fondly calls 'nanaji.' Manickam also loves him.

It is a real pleasure seeing Mithun Chakraborty back on screen in the role of Manickam and he portrays the character with aplomb. Madhavan is Manickam's favorite journalist in love with Vidya Balan, Manickam's grand daughter suffering from multiple sclerosis.

The story moves on with never a dull moment, the film resting entirely on Abhishek Bachchan who has given a remarkable performance. Portraying Guru from his twenties to the time he is sixty, Abhishek often reminds one of the Big B. Aishwarya Rai as the dignified and strong wife of Guru has matured as an actress. Needless to say, that the chemistry between the two is just great.

Mallika Sherawat makes a cameo appearance in the role of a belly dancer and does an item number. Arya Babbar as Sujatha's brother makes quite an impression. The music is by A.R. Rahman and the Mani Ratnam signature is seen in the group numbers and the 'Barso re' song picturised with Aishwarya Rai in the rain.

Entertaining with the right doses of romance 'Guru', is worth a watch.