Quite a hectic week indeed, but then there was a pleasant ending to the tale......saw the movie Guru yesterday.....amidst all the hype and public goddamn speculation....... and was it worth the wait!!!

Mani's movies have a habit of remaining highly discreet, yet the director teases our mind with occasional tidbits of information so that by the day of release, the movie generates a huge measure of hype and hoopla.....he's still in business cuz his movies live up to audience expectations, always.

Guru has gone one step beyond, though......it not only fulfills all expectations but also exceeds the limit.....thus churning out 3 hours of magic onscreen. The only period movies to near Guru's stature are Kamal Hassan's 'Hey Ram' and Mani's own 'Iruvar'.

Guru explains the growth of GuruKanth Desai....... an illiterate villager with a shrewd mind and a charming attitude. He works at Turkey, selling Petrol Cans for a living, and then returns to India, dreaming of making it big in life by doing business. The movie traces his slow rise to the Big League, and the hurdles that he faces as he grows in power and influence.

Abhishek rocks the scene with powerful acting, and he greatly resembles Bachchan Senior in certain shots. A few scenes trigger memories of Mani's earlier works, especially 'Nayagan'. Ash does a cool job as Guru's level-headed and confident wife.....excellent performances by Mithun Chakraborty and Madhavan make the story race through successfully. Vidya Balan, with minimum screen space, manages to reach through to the audience and the rest of the cast do a commendable job.

Rajiv Menon brings back the lush 50's of Indian History to life with stunning imagery and angles.......he sets the color and lighting apt to the mood of the scene. A.R.Rahman is a class unto his own....and need it be said that Mani has, for the n'th time, proved why he is the Best Director on this side of the country!

Well, with tht review in place....nuv i guess igtg....so until the next post.....!