The Guru (2002)
Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Bored with Bollywood movies but fascinated with their Hollywood counterparts from his youth, Ram dreams to become a singer and actor in America, the country where dreams are made. He is encouraged when his American-based close friend, Vijay Rao, comes for visit, and brags about driving a Mercedes and living in a penthouse.
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The movie's opening segment cleverly presents Ramu's boyhood captivation with American culture the bored boy sneaks out of a campy Indian movie musical to rapturously watch John Travolta belt out a number in "Grease" in a nearby theater.
They make a charming pair, but under all the frank sex talk and cutesy Grease references, there's no fresh or funny angle to their clichéd, misunderstanding-plagued relationship, and the Bolly-inspired trimmings are too light to inspire much feeling--which not only makes The Guru a tepid Bollywood imitation, but a tepid film, period.
(A typical Bollywood musical production is delightfully segued into a cover of "Grease" number "You're the One That I Want.")
The musical numbers, divided between Bollywood numbers and American knock-offs (Grease) congregate partway through for some high energy and genuinely amusing choreography and anachronistic humor.
While the main character - charmingly played, for the most part, by British actor Jimi Mistry ("The Mystic Masseur," "East is East") - grew up watching and idolizing "Grease," he obviously should have been studying "West Side Story" and its song, "America," about the plight of immigrants in the U.S.
Tom Cruise's underwear dance in "Risky Business" has wrought countless tired homages.
Partly inspired and conceived by executive producer Shekar Kapur (the Indian-born director of "Elizabeth"), "The Guru" reflects Kapur's culture shock and artistic struggle when he moved from India to London.
The script by Tracey Jackson came from an idea by esteemed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur ("Elizabeth"), who probably had something more refined in mind.
Here, the film comes dangerously close to becoming "Orgazmo," Trey Parker's similarly-themed fish-out-of-water-but-in-porn comedy.
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Heather Graham, who seems to be working out personal sexual hangups on screen (see "Boogie Nights," "Bowfinger," "From Hell," "Killing Me Softly," "Two Girls and a Guy" etc.) usually projects a wide blue-eyed vacuousness, but here she attains a sweet quality that the film never undermines by crossing into porno world realities.
His porn costar is Sharonna (Heather Graham, experiencing career déjà vu after her work as Rollergirl in “Boogie Nights”), who gives Ramu advice about sex that he uses to invent a persona known as “The Guru Of Sex.” Ramu goes on to become a huge star dishing out advice to love-starved New Yorkers (including Marisa Tomei, Christine Baranski, and Malachy McCourt), all the while questioning his own feelings for Sharonna.
Playing her second porn character - after Rollergirl in "Boogie Nights" - Graham might look the part, but her weak acting and the poorly written part prevent us from caring about whether her and Mistry's characters ultimately get together (as compared to what occurred in "Grease").
Jimi Mistry’s acting skills are pretty weak and Heather Graham , reprising a comedic version of her Boogie Nights roller girl porn star role, is gradually proving that she only had one good role.
While the main character - charmingly played, for the most part, by British actor Jimi Mistry ("The Mystic Masseur," "East is East") - grew up watching and idolizing "Grease," he obviously should have been studying "West Side Story" and its song, "America," about the plight of immigrants in the U.S.
But even with Graham's radiance and the impulsive energy of Marisa Tomei (the poor little rich girl trying to throw her arms around the world), director Daisy von Scherler Mayer ("Party Girl") never finds the heartbeat of her characters.
Hollywood once again meets Bollywood in this new farce by the director of Party Girl.
At these moments, director Daisy von Scherler Mayer ("Party Girl") invokes the breezy cheer and vibrant palette of Bollywood musicals.
But director Daisy von Scherler Mayer (Party Girl) and screenwriter Tracey Jackson leave you feeling mighty fine about the human race and all its ridiculousness.
Imaginatively directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer (“Party Girl,” “Madeline”), “Guru” has all the right ingredients to take off as a rip-snorting comedy, but oddly never quite leaves the ground.
Baby-faced star Mistry was born in Yorkshire, so any Bollywood-meets-Hollywood claim is a bit overstated-but American director Daisy von Scherler Mayer ("Madeline") mimics the feel and energy of Bollywood gracefully, even splicing Graham into a dreamy set piece lip-synching "Grease's" "You're the One that I Want" against a Bollywood-styled chorus number.
Director Daisy von Scherler Mayer ("Madeline") neatly hops between New York's strata of societies and the musical styles of Hollywood and Bombay.
Imaginatively directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer (“Party Girl,” “Madeline”), “Guru” has all the right ingredients to take off as a rip-snorting comedy, but oddly never quite leaves the ground.