The Guru (2002)

57% of critics liked it
(87 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(18,631 ratings)

A visitor from the mysterious East arrives in New York -- not to offer the wisdom of the ages, but to make it big as a dancer in this "fish-out-of-water" comedy. Ramu Chandra Gupta (Jimi Mistry) grew up in India on a steady diet of movie musicals, particularly local Bollywood spectaculars and… More A visitor from the mysterious East arrives in New York -- not to offer the wisdom of the ages, but to make it big as a dancer in this "fish-out-of-water" comedy. Ramu Chandra Gupta (Jimi Mistry) grew up in India on a steady diet of movie musicals, particularly local Bollywood spectaculars and vintage American song-and-dance films. Ramu grew up with the dream of one day making it big as a dancer, and in time he found a job as a dance instructor. However, Raimu believes his destiny lies in the United States, and he leaves India behind to relocate to New York City. Unfortunately, Ramu's bright new future isn't exactly awaiting him, and he's soon sharing an overstuffed apartment with distant relatives in Queens while working in an Indian restaurant. An audition for a film director named Dwain (Michael McKean) turns out to be a tryout for a porno movie -- a role Ramu does not get when he fails to rise to the occasion. However, he does make the acquaintance of one of Dwain's "starlets," Sharona (Heather Graham), with whom he soon finds himself infatuated. Ramu gets a job entertaining guests at a party catered by his relatives when the performer originally booked is incapacitated. While Ramu's Bollywood-style dancing goes over well enough, he makes a deeper impression on Lexi (Marisa Tomei), an enthusiastic but half-bright student of Eastern philosophy who regards Ramu a font of wisdom as well as a hot date. Ramu quickly becomes the toast of New York's upper crust, and scores an agent, Josh (Rob Morrow), but how long will it be before folks realize Ramu is rather low on the enlightenment scale? And can he find happiness with Sharona while Lexi is still in the picture? The Guru also features Christine Baranski and Malachy McCourt. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Written By: Tracey Jackson
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 31, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Jun 3, 2003
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
It's good fun -- almost a musical.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Devoid of life, intelligence, humor, and anything else that could entertain even the most undemanding viewer, this film is a perfect example of something that should have been shipped to landfills, not multiplexes.
Dan Via, Washington Post
A precipitous comedic falloff in the third quarter earns the film a qualified recommendation at best.
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle
A trifle, a silly one at that, but it's a charming trifle that's hard to resist.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
The movie offers up too many airy spiritual lessons in the hope of crossing from farce to sentiment.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
A joyous genre-blender guaranteed to crank up your karma.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Not only a tepid Bollywood imitation, but a tepid film, period.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Belos figurinos, boas seqüências musicais (embora em número insuficiente para servir como referência a Bollywood) e Marisa Tomei de lingerie - estes são os pontos fortes do filme. Os pontos fracos? Todo o resto.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This American version of a Bollywood musical is one of the worst films I have run across in the last few years.
Todd Gilchrist, FilmStew.com
. . .a noble effort to bring the thrills of Bollywood to America, but this magic carpet never quite gets off the ground because it traffics in too many cinematic clichés. . .
Harry Guerin, RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
A film whose good heart and musical numbers are much bigger than its shortcomings.
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
mixes the exuberance of Bollywood with measured lunacy of 30s screwball comedies and adds just a dash of "The Joy of Sex"
Jason Anderson, eye WEEKLY
Too timid for its own good, relying too often on bawdy gags, easy clichés and hoary stereotypes.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
There's not a whole lot of heft to von Scherler Mayer's romantic comedy with ethnic Indian entanglements; it's like overdone naan, too flaky and ephemeral for its own good, but still somehow appetizing.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
... those modest virtues can't prevail against the coarse jokes and shabby ethnic stereotypes of Tracey Jackson's disjointed script, Daisy von Scherler Mayer's unsteady direction, or the unflattering cinematography.
David Keyes, Cinemaphile.org
...a clunky, idiotic, laughless and amateurish collection of scenes targeted to people who have the intellect of mattress springs.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Michael M

The film lacks any big laughs and you'll probably forget you saw it an hour later. It has its moments and its sweet but is let down because of its water thin plot and lack of anything we haven't seen before.
Anthony L

I like Jimi Mistry a lot but I found this to be disappointing really. Starts off great but soon becomes tiresome.
Michael G

Surprisingly fun.
Sarah G

very funny jimi mistry is just hilarious! Funny to think he was in eastenders not so long ago lol
Marcus W

Starts well and is really funny with a self-effacing look at Indians in the US, and by the half-way mark I was loving it, then it gives up and focusses on a love story and there's a desperate rush to stop a wedding (which is nearly as bad as running to the airport), then they get… More
Starts well and is really funny with a self-effacing look at Indians in the US, and by the half-way mark I was loving it, then it gives up and focusses on a love story and there's a desperate rush to stop a wedding (which is nearly as bad as running to the airport), then they get together and drive off into the clouds after a song and dance. Stop it at the halfway point and it'll deserve another star.
Marion R

A cute film. It had a couple of funny moments.
Barry L

Cheesy but watchable
Leo L

Very funny!