The Guru
This is a film that, about the time I saw it in 2003, I would have called a “neglected gem.” “The Guru” came and went from theatres during its release ten years ago, but it stuck in my head as a delightful comedy, and a favorite from that year. Of course, the fact that it has Heather Graham in the role of an adult film star didn’t hurt, either.
The film stars Jimi Mistry as Ramu, a young man from India who’s dreamed his whole life about going to America, and being a star like John Travolta in “Grease.” When he was growing up, he was bored by the Bollywood films that were prevalent in his youth. When he sneaks into “Grease,” however, something clicks. When he’s in his 20s, he makes his way to New York, only to find that the “American Dream” he thought existed isn’t all its cracked up to be. He tries to make it in movies, but is troubled when the audition he goes to is about sex, although he finds himself smitten with the leading lady (Sharonna, played by Graham). Her advice backfires on set, but when he needs to sub for a spiritual guru who’s passed on, he finds a calling that leads him to stardom.
Five years before “Slumdog Millionaire” brought Indian culture to America in Oscar-winning fashion, “The Guru” blended Hollywood convention with Bollywood musical lunacy in the form of a sweet, sexy romantic comedy. The script was by Tracey Jackson (“The Confessions of a Shopaholic”), and it finds its way around the difficulties of creating a distinctly Bollywood feel within a typical American romantic comedy. The cast helps out with that big time, from the delightful lead performances from Mistry and Graham to strong supporting work from Marisa Tomei (as the spiritually confused woman who leads Ramu on the path to being a sensation) to Christine Baranski (as Tomei’s dominating mother), Michael McKean (as the porn director who “discovers” Ramu), and Dash Mihok (as Sharonna’s conservative, firefighter fiancee). The film is directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer (who also directed “Party Girl,” with Parker Posey), and she has a good feel for comedy laced with raunchy fun, which this film definitely is. It’s also got some enjoyable musical numbers; by the time Mistry and Graham are in the middle of a Bollywood version of “You’re the One That I Want,” we’ve submitted completely to “The Guru’s” predictable, unexpected, charms.
