'Guru En Aalu': stick to watching the original

Film: 'Guru En Aalu'; Cast: Madhavan, Mamta Mohandas, Abbas; Cinematography: U.K. Senthil Kumar; Music: Srikant Deva; Direction: Selva; Rating: *

While remaking a hit, specialist directors and cinematographers of the craft have no reason to sweat as available material is already cut-and-dried.

When it is made by a veteran of remakes and stars a decent artiste like Madhavan, one expects a passably good fare.

Sadly, 'Guru En Aalu', the Tamil avatar of Hindi hit 'Yes Boss', disappoints on all counts.

Most of the performers including hero Madhavan have hammed while trying outdo the sterling Hindi portrayals.

In the case of Abbas, his notorious wooden expression has worsened with the passage of time.

In the name of comedy, otherwise known for his sensible comments on the society's ills, Vivek fails miserably in a loud, listless effort.

A lecherous boss Krishna (Abbas) two-times his suspicious wife played by Brinda Parekh and Guru (Madhavan) generally saves his boss from impossible extra marital situations.

A gold-digger model Seema (Mamta Mohandas), nonplussed by Krishna's atrocious advances finally gets saved by Guru after tear-jerking cinematic melodrama.

Mamta is easy on the eye with an hourglass figure to boot and that is where the good news ends.

While Madhavan is a poor imitation of Shah Rukh Khan, Mamta is an slur against Juhi Chawla's spirited portrayal in the Hindi original.

Despite having remade better known movies for discerning producers like K. Balachander, director Selva has lost the plot completely this time.

Cinematographer Senthil Kumar and music director Deva have only succeeded in compounding this erroneous comedy.