The Guru (2002)

Director:

Daisy von Scherler Mayer

Writer (WGA):

Tracey Jackson (written by)

Release Date:

14 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Music | Romance

Tagline:

When he talks, women listen

Plot:

Bored with Bollywood movies but fascinated with their Hollywood counterparts from his youth, Ram dreams to become a singer and actor in America...

Plot Keywords:

Bollywood | Waiter | Restaurant | Live Television | India

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jimi Mistry	...	Ramu Gupta
Heather Graham	...	Sharonna
Marisa Tomei	...	Lexi
Michael McKean	...	Dwain
Dash Mihok	...	Rusty McGee
Emil Marwa	...	Vijay Rao
Christine Baranski	...	Chantal
Ronald Guttman	...	Edwin, Lexi's Dad
Malachy McCourt	...	Father Flannigan
Ajay Naidu	...	Sanjay
Anita Gillette	...	Mrs. McGee
Pat McNamara	...	Mr. McGee
Dwight Ewell	...	Peaches
Parul Shah	...	Indian Princess in Movie
Omar Rahim	...	Indian Prince in Movie

Also Known As:

Le gourou et les femmes (France)
The Guru of Sex (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, and for language.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

UK | France | USA

Language:

English | Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Malaysia:(Banned) | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

During the early stages of writing the script, the writer wanted the character of Kitty to be Martha Stewart or Madonna. They would have played themselves had one of them been cast.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ramu plays Swami Bu at the party, he has a garland on. The red sections move up and down between shots.

Quotes:

Vijay: Name one famous Indian in America.
Sanjay: That guy from the Simpsons.
Vijay: He is a cartoon!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

KYA MIL GAYA

Totally enjoyable, at least for me

This is the kind of movie, when I read the negative reviews, that I just shake my head. All the august discussion, criticism of script, "racism", "lack of chemistry", lofty analysis, and on and on. And critic Michael Medved, his "review" which is more of a hand wringing speculation over the real-life sexual orientation of Mistral, reaches a new height of ignorance.

A movie doesn't have to be a masterpiece of cinema to be enjoyable. Of course it is not a "great" movie. WHO CARES? I enjoyed this movie more than any comedy I think since Big Business (another gem trashed by critics).

Of course it helps if you understand and like Bollywood and Indian culture, and it helps a lot if you appreciate the sexy charms of the lead actor, who is shall I say, remarkably supple.

If you fall in that category, I guarantee you will love The Guru, die laughing over the musical numbers, and be totally charmed by the cheesy ending.

My only substantive criticism of The Guru as a movie, is that it gets a little slow in places, and I think more musical numbers would have been great.

If you are not interested, this movie will leave you cold. That's OK. But spare us all the literate dissection.

I give The Guru a 10 for a wonderful movie diversion!