Guru (1980 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Guru

| image = Guru 1980 poster.jpg

| caption = Poster of Tamil version

| director = I. V. Sasi

| writer = Haasan Brothers (dialogues)

| based_on = {{based on|Jugnu}}

| producer = Prakash R. C.

| starring = {{plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Jayanan Vincent

| editing = K. Narayanan

| music = Ilaiyaraaja

| studio = Shiv Sakthi Films

| released = {{Film date|1980|07|18|Tamil|1980|07|19|Telugu|df=y}}

| runtime = 159 minutes

| country = India

| language = Tamil
Telugu

}}

Guru ({{translation|Teacher}}) is a 1980 Indian action adventure film{{Cite web |last=Gupta |first=Rachit |date=7 July 2016 |title=5 masked superheroes from films |url=https://www.filmfare.com/features/5-masked-superheroes-from-films-14378-2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919123436/http://www.filmfare.com/features/5-masked-superheroes-from-films-14378-2.html |archive-date=19 September 2016 |access-date=17 March 2020 |website=Filmfare |quote=This star studded action adventure wasn’t exactly a superhero movie, but it did feature Kamal Haasan in an outlandish costume playing justice seeker and do-gooder.}} directed by I. V. Sasi. The film stars Kamal Haasan and Sridevi, while M. N. Nambiar, Muthuraman and Mohan Babu play supporting roles. It revolves around a philanthropist who masquerades as a vigilante.

Guru, a remake of the 1973 Hindi film Jugnu, was simultaneously made in Tamil and Telugu-languages. The Tamil version was released on 18 July 1980, and the Telugu version the day after. It was a blockbuster and completed a 365-day run at the box office.

Plot

In pre-independent India, Raghu is a revolutionary who is disowned by his aristocratic father and is presumed dead while fleeing from the police. Ten years later, Raghu's wife is shot dead by a landlord attempting to rape her, and her young boy shoots the landlord in retaliation and absconds.

Several years later, the boy has grown up to be Ashok, a rich, reputed philanthropist who runs "Parvathi Nilayam", a shelter and institute for orphaned destitute children, named after his mother. Unknown to all except his close friend and associate Mahesh is the fact that to support "Parvathi Nilayam", Ashok also masquerades as "Guru", an elusive vigilante who performs several heists and is being hunted by the police. Meanwhile, Ashok's grandfather has been raising an impostor, Ramesh as his grandson, who has turned out to be felonious.

Ashok meets and falls in love with Sujatha, the niece of a top police official, who strives to win her affection and succeeds. Ashok, in the guise of Guru, also tangles with a notorious mob headed by a one-armed man, one of whose associates is Ramesh. Ashok also has a chance encounter with his lost father, Raghu, who is now working as a professor, but Raghu conceals his identity to keep Ashok safe.

In a shocking twist, Ashok finds out that the landlord whom he had murdered as a boy was none other than Sujatha's father, and he starts rebuking Sujatha without revealing her the truth, leaving her heart-broken. Distraught and despondent, Ashok plans one last big heist to support "Parvathi Nilayam" permanently, hand it over to his friend Mahesh and seclude himself forever. Whether his plans succeed forms the rest of the story.

Cast

class="wikitable"

!Cast (Tamil)

!Cast (Telugu)

!Role

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Kamal Haasan

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Guru / Ashok

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Sridevi

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Sujatha

style="text-align:center;"| R. Muthuraman

| style="text-align:center;"| Kaikala Satyanarayana

| style="text-align:center;"| Raghu

style="text-align:center;"| M. N. Nambiar

| style="text-align:center;"| M. Prabhakar Reddy

| style="text-align:center;"| Head of the anti-social group

style="text-align:center;"| Major Sundarrajan

| style="text-align:center;"| Kantha Rao

| style="text-align:center;"|Commissioner of Police

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Mohan Babu

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Ramesh

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Y. G. Mahendran

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Mahesh

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Poornam Viswanathan

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Raghu's father

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| S. V. Ramadas

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Sujatha's father

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Ceylon Manohar

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Henchman

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Vennira Aadai Nirmala

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Parvathi

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Pandari Bai

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Sujatha's mother

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Jayamalini

| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Mahesh's love interest

Production

Guru is a remake of the 1973 Hindi film Jugnu.{{Cite web |date=12 August 2015 |title=Sridevi: 5 times the actress bowled us with her performance |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/photo-features/sridevi-5-times-the-actress-bowled-us-with-her-performance/etphotostory/48450778.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424051532/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/photo-features/sridevi-5-times-the-actress-bowled-us-with-her-performance/etphotostory/48450778.cms |archive-date=24 April 2024 |access-date=17 March 2020 |website=The Times of India}} For the song "Paranthalum Vidamatten" where Kamal Haasan travels in an aeroplane and Sridevi in a helicopter, the producer bought an aeroplane and a helicopter from Delhi. The song was shot over four days.{{Cite magazine |date=15 June 1980 |title=விமானத்தில் கமல், ஹெலிகாப்டரில் ஸ்ரீதேவி! |trans-title=Kamal in an aeroplane, Sridevi in a helicopter! |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki1980-06-15/page/n13/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230405080442/https://archive.org/details/kalki1980-06-15/page/n13/mode/2up |archive-date=5 April 2023 |access-date=3 April 2023 |magazine=Kalki |pages=12–13 |language=Ta |via=Internet Archive}}

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Kannadasan, Gangai Amaran and Panchu Arunachalam provided lyrics for the Tamil version.{{Cite web |title=Guru Tamil Film EP VInyl Record by Ilayaraaja |url=https://mossymart.com/product/guru-tamil-film-ep-vinyl-recod-by-ilayaraaja/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006065739/https://mossymart.com/product/guru-tamil-film-ep-vinyl-recod-by-ilayaraaja/ |archive-date=6 October 2021 |access-date=6 October 2021 |website=Mossymart}}{{Cite web |title=Guru (1980) |url=https://www.raaga.com/tamil/movie/guru-songs-T0000055 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312131049/https://www.raaga.com/tamil/movie/guru-songs-T0000055 |archive-date=12 March 2024 |access-date=17 March 2020 |website=Raaga.com}} For the Telugu version, all lyrics were written by Acharya Aatreya.{{Cite web |title=Guru Telugu Film EP VInyl Record by Ilayaraja |url=https://mossymart.com/product/guru-telugu-film-ep-vinyl-record-by-ilayaraja/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006065741/https://mossymart.com/product/guru-telugu-film-ep-vinyl-record-by-ilayaraja/ |archive-date=6 October 2021 |access-date=6 October 2021 |website=Mossymart}}{{Cite web |title=Guru (Telugu) |url=https://gaana.com/album/guru-telugu-telugu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200317074031/https://gaana.com/album/guru-telugu-telugu |archive-date=17 March 2020 |access-date=17 March 2020 |website=Gaana}}{{Cite web |title=Guru (1980)-Song_Booklet |url=https://indiancine.ma/documents/CTY/info |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230404122935/https://indiancine.ma/documents/CTY/info |archive-date=4 April 2023 |access-date=6 October 2021 |website=Indiancine.ma}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Tamil

| extra_column = Singer(s)

| title1 = Perai Chollava

| extra1 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki

| lyrics1 = Kannadasan

| title2 = Naan Vanangugiren

| extra2 = S. Janaki

| lyrics2 = Panchu Arunachalam

| title3 = Endhan Kannil

| extra3 = S. Janaki

| lyrics3 = Kannadasan

| title4 = Maamanukku Paramakudi

| extra4 = S. Janaki

| lyrics4 = Gangai Amaran

| title5 = Parandhalum Vidamatten

| extra5 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki

| lyrics5 = Kannadasan

| title6 = Aadungal Paadungal

| extra6 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam

| lyrics6 = Kannadasan

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Telugu

| extra_column = Singer(s)

| title1 = Perucheppana

| extra1 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki

| title2 = Kannula Kipu

| extra2 = S. Janaki

| title3 = Nimmasettu Needunnadi

| extra3 = S. Janaki

| title4 = Naa Vandanamu

| extra4 = S. Janaki

| title5 = Nela Ina Ningi Ina

| extra5 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki

| title6 = Aadandi Paadandi

| extra6 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam

}}

Release and reception

Guru{{'}}s Tamil version was released on 18 July 1980; the Telugu version was released the day after, on 19 July. Both versions were critically and commercially successful. The Tamil version was also successful in Sri Lanka, it ran there for two years becoming the second Tamil film after Vasantha Maligai for having successful run in Sri Lanka for two years.{{Cite web |last=ராம்ஜி |first=வி. |date=19 July 2020 |title=கமலின் கமர்ஷியல் 'குரு'வுக்கு 40 வயது! – இலங்கையில் செய்த மெகா சாதனை! |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/565372-kamal-guru.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719151216/https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/565372-kamal-guru.html |archive-date=19 July 2020 |access-date=19 July 2020 |website=Hindu Tamil Thisai |language=ta}}{{Cite magazine |last=ராமநாதன் |first=ஆர். கே. |date=31 October 1982 |title=? |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki1982-10-31/page/n55/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230416161106/https://archive.org/details/kalki1982-10-31/page/n55/mode/2up |archive-date=16 April 2023 |access-date=16 April 2023 |magazine=Kalki |page=56 |language=Ta |via=Internet Archive}} Kanthan of Kalki appreciated the performances of the cast, particularly Haasan, but felt the plot was an amalgam of various Hindi films.{{Cite magazine |last=காந்தன் |date=10 August 1980 |title=குரு |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki1980-08-10/page/n15/mode/2up? |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231221095725/https://archive.org/details/kalki1980-08-10/page/n15/mode/2up? |archive-date=21 December 2023 |access-date=23 February 2024 |magazine=Kalki |page=14 |language=ta |via=Internet Archive}}

Legacy

The visuals for the songs "Paranthalum Vidamatten" and "Endhan Kannil" became iconic for the "technical marvel" in the former, and Sridevi's drunken comedy in the latter.{{Cite book |last=Nayak |first=Satyarth |author-link=Satyarth Nayak |title=Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess |title-link=Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess |publisher=Ebury Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-93-53056-78-0 |pages=45–46}} In retrospect, Haasan has been critical of the film, calling it "crap".{{Cite web |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |author-link=Baradwaj Rangan |date=7 November 2019 |title=Kamal Haasan At 65: The Forgotten Phase |url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/features/kamal-haasan-at-65-the-forgotten-phase |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730041105/https://www.filmcompanion.in/features/kamal-haasan-at-65-the-forgotten-phase |archive-date=30 July 2024 |access-date=30 July 2024 |website=Film Companion}}