G for Good, B for Bad

This is what greets my ears as I leave the hall. I admit I strayed into it totally out of boredom, while waiting for my train. I had no expectations again from this one. And again, for the second time in less than 30 days ( Happy Feet ) I'm proven wrong.

Guru tells you the story of a dreamer working abroad, villager Gurukant Desai ( Abhishek Bachchan ) who gives up his job in Turkey ( the Gulf ... oooh Maya maya) to pursue his own dreams of fame and fortune. He is not averse to marrying for money, coercion and the odd underhanded deals. And that is where I respect the movie the most. The Gray. A color rarely portrayed in Bollywood for heroes. Guru is no hero.. neither is he a villian. But he does bend the law when it suits his needs. The movie chronicles his growing years as he goes from unknown villager to news headlines, through hospitals and courtroom dates.

Aishwarya as his wife, is finally getting it - the art of acting naturally. She does a commendable job here when it mattered most, the ever supportive wife always beside her husband through his good times and bad.

Mithun Chakraborty.. where did Mani Ratnam pick him from ? Either way, it was inspired casting. The once mentor-turned-foe of Guru has a pretty tough role to hold, and he does it with class. Here too, the relationship between them is so unnatually natural - the admiration and respect for each other is evident, even when their views of the world differ.

Madhavan as the journalist taking on Guru in the press is a well etched role till the end, I felt, when they've just made him disappear, a tad abruptly.

Vidya Balan, as Guru's friend during his early struggling days, is left wheel chair bound with MS and finds, when she needs it most, solace with Madhavan. That too, is a story, a bit poorly etched, I felt.

And finally Big B. No, that's no error. He's ready to hold the crown of "Big" Bachchan. After the sad role he had in Dhoom 2 and the snooze fest Umrao Jaan, here he shines and how !! It isn't just the ageing, or the extra weight he added for the role. It isn't the sweet moments he has with Ash which bring a sigh to your lips or the arrogance of the character. It's the maturity he brings to the role ( I can't imagine any of the 3 Khans doing this one ). At times, when his back is turned to the screen as he speaks, I swear, you can almost hear his dad in the voice. And that is no mean feat. Kudos to Mani Rathnam.. that's it. Show 'em how to make movies.

Request : Please, Mr Priyadarshan. Stop. Enough. You're taking old films and remaking them. That's ok. I have no complaints with that. But you're destroying them. And torturing us while you're at it. Bhagam Bhag is a sad attempt at.. I don't know what ? Humor ? Murder mystery ? Reviving Govinda's career ? Whatever it is, it fails on all counts.

So we have Govinda and Akshay Kumar as part of a stage troupe who are sent to London ( ?? ) to perform dances, but end up having to find a new heroine after annoying their previous one. Some silly misunderstandings later and Akshay finds the suicidal Lara Dutta walking down London in a white sari, no less, and gets her to be their heroine in the skit/dance/whatever. Another bang on her head and she regains her ( lost ?) consciousness, revealing she's married to a business man ( Arbaaz Khan ). Hubby and wife walk away. leaving a disillusioned troupe with no heroine. And then they get a call from her that night - a plea for help from her suicidal self. And come to her house to witness her burnt to death. What happens next from drug smugglers to Indian cops in London to taxi drivers on hire to another dead body to Lara's ghostly reappearance to....AAAAH !!!

There is so much potential, yet it is so wasted. I have no commendable words for anyone here.. it isn't worth the effort. But I will sound a warning to comedy directors - the next one who ends the movie with more than 8 main characters chasing each other will personally be lynched by me and my 'bunch of comedians'. And that ain't no laughing matter. Be warned.