Some spicy 'Guru' gyan

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ruqaiyah

@~LiNa~

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Posted: 18 years ago

Some spicy 'Guru' gyan
11th Jan 2007 21.00 IST

Here's presenting some interesting tidbits about Mani Ratnam's movie Guru which hits the theatres on Friday.

When Mani Ratnam approached Abhishek Bachchan for the movie, the actor was a bit daunted by the script. The movie, in Abhi's words, was almost a biopic and demanded nothing less than his best in acting performance.

"Initially, I was scared because it was going to be challenging. When Mani sir comes to you, he means business. He will not give you an easy film," Abhishek is quoted as saying.

However, Abhi showed courage and accepted the project. And in the process of filming, he sank his teeth into the character so deep that he changed his physical appearance to show different stages in the life of Guru. The first half has him in a lean look. For the second half of the film Abhishek had to gain weight and look plump.

Another interesting fact about 'Guru' is that Vivek Oberoi was initially finalized to play an important role in the film. But when Aishwarya Rai (his former flame) was signed to play the female lead, Vivek opted out of the project and Madhavan was roped in his place.

Speaking of Ash, Ratnam had previously planned to shoot a song showing her riding a bicycle. But when Ash hurt her foot while cycling, Ratnam changed the entire number to a rain song 'Barso Re'. In the modified version, Ash is seen walking along the scenic landscape in rain instead of cycling.

Also, Ash and Abhi will be shown as parents of twin daughters in the film. On the other hand, Vidya Balan will be seen as a handicapped woman confined to a wheelchair.

A special team of designers was hired to do the styling of the main characters. Because the movie's story is set in a long period from early 1950s to 1980s, an in-depth research was done by the designers to create costumes that reflected the fashion trends of the period depicted in the movie.

Although it has been speculated that 'Guru' is based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, Ratnam has denied it and said the film is about an individual's struggle to realize his dreams.