The Guru

Not many people will be attracted to The Guru; if for no other reason that the movie poster (or DVD box, if you will) would suggest that of an Indian film that may be too ethnic for the casual moviegoer. And that is too bad, for The Guru is one of those small gems of a film that through word of mouth will eventually get its due as an entertaining, light comedy.

Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer (1998, Madeline), the movie stars Jimi Mistry as Ramu Gumpta, an young Indian man that moves to America in hopes of obtaining the American dream; that of fame, fortune and celebrity. His hopes are soon dashed however, when he realizes that the land of opportunity is not awaiting his presence with open arms, and he must find work as a waiter and then a reluctant actor in porn films in order to pay his quarter of the rent.

As chance would give, Ramu finds himself at an upper class house party where a guru has been hired as the entertainment. When the guru passes out due to excessive drinking, Ramu assumes his role and uses logic obtained on his movie sets to enliven the guests in the first of three musical numbers within the film. At this gathering, a young, compulsive female named Lexi (played by Academy Award Winner Marisa Tomei), falls for the guru's sexual teachings and soon uses her connections to get him set up with one-on-one client visits and eventually television spots.

But alas all is not well in guru land. The teachings and mutterings by Ramu are actually words from a porn actress named Sharona, (played with normal ditziness by Heather Graham), who thinks that she is giving him lessons on how to be a better porn star and asks only that he tells no one of the information they share. Later Ramu must is put in a ‘we-can-see-this-coming-a-mile-away' scene where his teachings to a mass audience are witnessed by Sharona and he must try to win her back after betraying her trust.

The Guru is very light entertainment, but it delivers by offering nothing more than a few laughs and musical numbers that will have your feet tapping the floor. There are plenty of ethnic jokes and stereotypes (Indians driving cabs, ha ha), but nothing offensive or off color. Daisy von Scherler Mayer keeps things lively by providing us with just the right amount of sex, music and humor to keep us enthralled.

The Guru is by far a perfect movie and a 7 out of 10 would be about the proper rating if I was asked to rate it on such a scale, but considering the amount of comedies out there and the lack of laughs they provide, I think you will agree that The Guru will at least keep a smile on your face for 90 minutes. Thumbs up!

I had no idea what the plot of the Guru was before I saw it. And afterwards, I was glad I saw this unique love story that for some reason, never got much press when it was in theaters. The story revolves around a young India man who moves to New York to make his dreams of becoming rich and famous a reality. He tries out for a movie role, not knowing it was for a porn. On the set of the porn, he meets a girl, whom ends up giving him advice about sex. She thinks it is for working in porns, but he is using the advice to advance his career as the Guru. Of course, the two fall for each other and how they finally get together makes this movie worth while.

FINAL VERDICT: A lot of music, and a much better plot than most romantic comedies now days. This was much better than any of Sandra Bullocks lame romantic comedies. I recommend this unique, not-so-well-known, gem.

I had read a review of this that said the sex bit was quite low key and it was actually quite a good comedy. Indeed it was, not great, but quite watchable and good fun. Jimi Mistry was very good, and the female leads, Marisa Tomei and Heather Graham were funny and sexy.

The Bollywood dance sequences were well done, and Mistry proved he can move very nicely. There were several laugh out loud moments and overall it was a feelgood movie.

It wasnt the best sex comedy I have seen, and the laughs could have been more frequent, but that didnt spoil an otherwise light hearted and amusing film.

For an evening in with nothing else to do, worth watching!

I caught this film late at night on Starz and decided to watch it. I was bracing myself for something stupid a la "Master of Disguise", but this is a good movie.

A young Indian goes to America in hopes of becoming the next John Travolta. He ends up working odd jobs while still searching to be discovered. He eventually does, but not as he had hoped. Marisa Tomei is psycho and Heather Graham is surprisingly good in this role. The ending is terrific. Leaves you feeling good. Everything has a good outcome.

It's too bad this movie bombed at the theatres. It's a good offbeat romantic comedy. I cracked up at quite a few parts. It's a light-hearted film with great music (traditional and modern). I recommend this to couples who want to spend a great evening inside with a bowl of popcorn.

An homage to Bollywood, "Grease" and possibly Dr. Ruth, "The Guru" could be listed prominently in a cinematic encyclopedia under the heading of 'cute cute cute'.

As a child, Ramu is seen enjoying john Travolta and Olivia Newton-John singing "You're the One That I Want", which began his love of dance, music and Americana. He moves to the US as an adult to live with his cousin but the streets are not paved with the proverbial gold be had envisioned and when his career as a waiter is short-lived, he answers a want-ad requesting an actor. Much to his discomfort, the movie turns out to be pornography and he is, uh, unable to fulfill the requirements but he does become friends with his co-star, Sharona. She is sympathetic to his plight and begins giving him sexual advice so that he can become a full-fledged porn star. But he takes this advice and becomes a sexual guru who eventually charms Upper East Side socialites, most notable Lexi, and Sharona feels betrayed.

Needless to say, its all okay at the end, and so will you be, if you just enjoy it for what it is. I like the movie far too much to point out the logistic problems, but they are there.

I loved the musical numbers, all the actors are very well-cast, and some of it is hilarious. I liked Daisy's "Party Girl" a lot and after seeing this, I'll make sure to check out her other movies. 8/10.