Guru- Movie Review

Guru is a movie depicted on the life of DhirubhaiAmbani. Dhirubhaiis the first business tycoon who has the vision of creating a giant business empire- RELIANCE.

He is a Sindhi Gujarati with his father as a school teacher and a mother at home looking after a family of six, two sons and two daughters. Dhirubhaiis the second son of his family. When he appears for his metric exam, his father falls seriously ill. So he requests the young Dhiru to go to Aden and earn for the family. Dhirubhai wanted to study further but since his father’s condition, he happily agrees to go to Aden to work there. Those days Aden was the second busiest trading and oil bunkering port in the world after London handling over 6,300 ships and 1,500 dhows a year. He works as a clerk in the firm A. Besse& Co. is the largest transcontinental trading firm east of Suez. It was engaged in almost every branch of trading business-cargo booking, handling, shipping, forwarding, and wholesale merchandising. Besse acted as trading agents for a large number of European, American, African and Asian companies and dealt with all sorts of goods ranging from sugar, spices, food grains and textiles to office stationary, tools, machinery and petroleum products. Dhirubhai is first sent to the commodities trading section of the firm. In the breaks, Dhirubhai roams about in the market, and learn the business strategies.

In this movie, Gurukant Desai, has gone to Turkey to earn. And in the breaktime, he would roam about in the Turkish streets wherein he learnt a lot about the trading and doing business.

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He learns to keep accounts, basics of opening a trading company, the language used by the traders and business men like equity and IPO and further more. And by this time people have realized that GurukantDesai, has an uncanny knack for the business and trade.

When Dhirubhai is given promotion in the firm, he set his foot down and decides to head homewards to set up his own business. Because by now, he has become a guru (master) of each and every tactic essential for not only setting up a business for making polyester fibre; but also how to develop into a large business empire. Dhirubhai Ambani started with merely Rs. 15,000.

The reason why we take pride in exampling his life is that he is self-empowered. He reads a lot of self-help, self-inspiring books. He improves his English, learnt to write business letters and the most important thing is his uncanny courage to excel in life before anyone in the market. He uses to make a lot of friends who would help him in quenching his thirst for knowing each and every knick knack of the trade and business. For this purpose, he makes friends with sailing merchants, and the crew team and shares his experiences with them. He is a great listener, and that’s where he wins the battle. And the way in which he carries himself that no one could break him up. His uncanny strength to succeed, in the rat race before anyone else, makes him the first business tycoon of India and Father of Modern Economics.

There is an incidence in the movie, that the Head of Apparal Stock Market puts a seal on the building where the trade is going on. What Guru does, is that unloads the whole shipment in this Head’s house. He says that when I cannot sell the product, and as I am indebted because of your sealing the office and when I cannot payback to the company

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then (Head of stock exchange) take this shipment and get clothes stitched for everyone in your family. When the Head gets panicky, he finds Guru’s place and requests him to take away the shipment. Guru has his condition that Open the market and I will do so. But the Head resisted. Guru says that he won’t take no from him. He made the Head back away and open the stock exchange buiding the very next day. This was Dhirubhai’s strength too. To find such a way that he can demand the opposing party to fall on his knees and plead, and that point Dhirubhai just just did what he said otherwise to the party but first Dhirubhai’scodition and then opposing parties. He won’t take a no, and the tremendous courage, that no one in the market produces the best polyester and that too at a reasonable rate. DhirubhaiAmbani was the first person to introduce polyester in the country.

Yes he aimed for the Sun and will do anything for it. His own strength, courage, humbleness, shrewdness is the strength of a common man. When we look at Dhirubhai’s photo his face is illuminated by the cosmic radiation coming from within himself who ends up a rags to riches millionaire. Back home, his father, discouraged him, to go to Bombay and do business. His business empire was so huge that the general body meetings used to take place in stadiums!!!!! And in the end of the movie, Guru is shown in a stadium addressing his workers.

When the panel of judges, sit to decide whether, Mr. Gurukant Desai, is guilty of the 39 charges, the Head gives a speech in English, which Guru did not understand. On the contrary, DhirubhaiAmbani was quiet effluent with the language. The jury takes place for 4 days and at the end of each day’s charges, Guru is asked to speak in defense for

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himself. He shuts up and merely listens. And on the fifth day when the public is also invited, he finally speaks up. The judges give him 5 min. He has been questioned about the illegal methods taken up to expand his business. He said that yes he did try the decent way. But the decent way didn’t work out after innumerable trials and then he started the illegal way. He doesn’t know the legal matters. All he know is how to make polyester, dye it and that too buying products at a very cheap rate and producing A-one quality polyester.

In this movie it is said by Guru that he is ignorant about the business and trade laws. But then, the question arises that, how come he got his name in the illegal matters. I mean we only do illegal stuff only after knowing the legal stuff.

The man who promotes Guru, MankchandDasgupta is the chief editor of the SwatantraSamachar. This man is quiet impressed with Guru’s uncanny wit and courage and so decides to promote him in Guru’s earlier days to set up the business. But once when Guru is bribed by Arzan’s father to work for him, Guru misuses the SwatantraSamachar and asks to write against Senior Contractor. Manikchand didn’t like this act and so asks Shyam, a young journalist to expose the real Guru in public. But there also, Guru compliments Shyam, and encourages him saying this name and fame has come after a long time of constant perseverance, all the best for the fight, prepare well for the fight and also to write well in the newspaper. But in the end, the panel of judges found Gurukant Desai guilty for only two charges out of thirty nine ones. This is the strength of DhirubhaiAmbani’s courage to price himself as one of the costliest business tycoons of India merely in 70 years. He was the first person to

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introduce equity in share market. Dhirubhai is an example if the famous saying by Swami Vivekanand, “ARISE, AWAKE AND STOP NOT TILL THE GOAL IS REACHED.”

The whole nation goes against him not because he is spreading his business at a horrendous speed through illegal business tactics, but because no one in the country neither the politicians, cream of Indian aristocrats, bureaucrats has such courage and self-inspiration as DhirubhaiAmbani has. Dhirubhai’s own father discourages him.He knows that he is born to change the face of the Indian economy and all he dreams ofis, his own vast business empire- RELIANCE.

How many of us can even think of nurturing such a thought or having a wild dream like that? There are hardly 50 out of 50000 people. And out of that, 40 of them just stumble with this thought because they don’t know what to do for such kind of a wild dream. Merely 10 out 50000 dream wildlyand are ready to go wild for the dream. And out of them DhirubhaiAmbani is just one out 50000 people.

Dhirubhai neither waits for an astrologer, angel or the parot reader to tell him the exact year, month, week, day, date, hour, minute and second that when will he be able to set up the RELIANCE EMPIRE. He knows that he wants to be a big name. So the line says that, “BEAUTY LIES IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER,” meaning every common man has once in a lifetime an opportunity to become big, and he only becomes big when he realizes that that opportunity has finally come on his doorstep and he should grab it immediately. Dhirubhai, becomes an icon in our great country. Yes, he is the ordinary man. He comes to Bombay with his wife and 2 pairs of trousers and shirts. Even he hasproblems in his life, but he knows the strength within himself and

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the precise use of the Indian resources in order to be the biggest Indian business tycoon in his life time. In his lifetime whatever DhirubhaiAmbani has achieved in 70 years can be achieved in say 30 to 40 years in any of the foreign countries. But he chooses his homeland for the RELIANCE Empire and makes it a reality even before we all can realize that he has done it. The point where we Indians lack is that we focus on our negativity. A majority of the us, talking about the large middle class or the lower class just do labour and die, and do not even realize that their inner soulful voice can be as strong as Dhirubhai and they can be at the level of Dhirubhaior even greater than that. All we Indians do is boast about our rich culture and heritage and curse our present governing bodies, saying is that there is dirt lying everywhere around the corners of the street and the cows are at lose and so are the dogs and all the politicians do is to fill their pockets and not worry about us. A majority of an Indian life is wasted in this and whatever is left is filled by the astrologers, parot readers and Angels.

Actually God has given us all the equal strength. That strength is fully utilized by Dhirubhai and that’s why everyone talks of him. This is the simple truth of our lives!! We blame others for us not being on the top. Well, my friends, lets empower ourselves and strengthen our strengths and turn our weaknesses into strengths eventually by taking the full charge of our lives in our hands and focus on merely our goals, life, career and then we will no more be called a Third World Nation.

The title to Deepak Chopra’s famous book is that You Can Win. Well no one pushes us towards the winning side unless he himself is fully aware that he has taken his life in his hands and led it in apositive direction with full self awareness of his strengths and weaknesses.

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When a child is born, the parents are overjoyed. And they enjoy with him his childhood. Now when comes in the higher standards of the school, there is tremendous pressure from parental side that he must study hard and become an Engineer, Doctor, Lawyer. All the time he is compared to the person who stands first in his class. But the reality might be something else. He wants be a Fine Artist or a Performing Artist, or maybe Yuvraj Singh, or A.R. Rehman. In doing something that he doesn’t want to do, all his life he turns into a depressant and becomes negative about his life. Because he cannot bear the fact that his inner soulful voice is being killed by his own parents. Eventually, the kid may become a Doctor but will fail in the world outside and then the parents think that he is a burden to them. Why so much of control then? Why not give him the freedom to choose his own path and let him be happy?

If the boy, goes his way then also the parents take it that he is not considerate of them and is going against their wishes for they are scared for his failure. Well but the boy has already seen the success and is working hard towards his goal. I mean why should he live like his father whom he respects and loves a lot but doesn’t want to opt for the same career as his father wishes? All the parents have to say is that this their house and he will have to do what they say or else he may leave because he is the burden to them. Then why give him the life? Parents are running away from their responsibilities and then they want to blame all the negativity on their children. And when they grow up in a marriageable age they are marred to the girl whom they chose because she comes from a highly effluent family and both of their horoscopes match?? What a wonderful example the parents have set for their children?

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At the age of 15 or 16, both the parents can talk to their little boy at his level and make him aware of his strength and weaknesses and ask him to take his final decision over career. Do whatever you can if fall down we will pick up and love you because you are our son and we love you from the day we decided to bring you in this life, honey is what a boy will love to hear and then see the progress of the child. Such a boy will be more conscious about his career and will always be happy whether he becomes a rock star or an actor. Love is the unconditional feeling of acceptance and respect that we all chose to give our children to make them better citizens. Only then, the children will respect us and give us the position of their lovely Gods and love us for the rest of their lives. They are trained to listen to their inner soulful lives and are slowly and lovingly guided towards the serious life from the playful life of their childhood. Such children are bound to be better parents, are positive in every sphere of their lives. Parents explain them everything maybe innumerable times at their level so they realize and dream for their ultimate success.

Girls are no exception to this situation. The moment a girl is born, the parents are happy. She is given the same opportunity as the boy for studying, her extracurricular activities, for her career etc. The moment she reaches her physical maturity, she is taken for granted that she will be mentally also matured. So irrespective of the age and her studies she is expected to learn everything that she has to do all her life after marriage. Every time she hears these words, that she has to be patient and loving and caring and never raise her voice, because women are born to suffer. If she raises her voice in her parents’ home what will she do in her in laws place? Her inner voice is every time killed by her parents and marriage is taken by her more of an obligation then a

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relationship of enjoyment and equal partnership between her husband and her spouse. Why is she blamed for being a girl? Why shouldn’t she have an opinion of her own? When she has a different opinion than her parents, they get scared because such girls will always fight with her in laws. And if she doesn’t argue she is killing her inner soulful voice. Still in India, the birth of girl child is a curse. I mean what have we really gained after 63 years of Independece? Thank God, SardarVallabhbhai Patel is not alive such a girl child. The lower class people and the middle lower class people have now started educating their girls upto graduation. But in the villages it’s the same story. Girls are not even allowed their playful childhood days. People keep on trying until and unless they have a boy and then they curse all the little fairies and if they don’t bear a male child they are thrown out? Why? Why? Why? And in upper middle class people say that not to give that girl child so much freedom otherwise she will not listen to her parents and so parents feel like disowning her. Very rarely do I hear parents saying I have a lovely daughter and she is the best I can have.

Parents choose to give a new life to their children mayit be a boy or girl, when they are born. Hence it is their responsibility to nurture the kids with love and fervor. They need to listen to them, play with them and make them learn the importance of their lives by talking at their level. Let them choose the way they want but as parents promise them your uncanny confidence, respect and love for the children and as parents also we get their uncanny Love, Confidence and Respect. Parents can choose never to judge, humiliate their children nor compare them with anyone and rather take pride every time they hear people talking about their children. Just compare their last time’s success to their present and motivate them to reach to the perfection

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level which is where we all want our children to reach. Help them out to enhance their strengths to perfection and turn their weaknesses into strengths too. All this is possible when parents talk at their level, tell them stories from which they enjoy the playfulness of their age and yet get the message that they have to excel till perfection level. Give him or her all the support and trust of yours and trust me they will be DhirubhaiAmbani in their own field of comfort. The only way to empower the future generation is that we have to be there the strongest uncanny support of their lives. Make them realize that they can be as perfect as us. Just be with them. Support in whatever situation they are in and whatever they want to do. Explain with great patience and give them their own space once they enter their later teenage.Children coming from such backgrounds can reach to the stars easily. They can handle the each and every problem tactfully and they can get away with anything in their lives. They listen to their inner soulful voice and follow it to that level where they will be the Gurus of their own field. That’s what the movie is all about that, be the master of your own field and reach the top before anyone reaches there. We have to make our children realize that they can be DhirubhaiAmbani, Sachin Tendulkar, Mani Ratnam or A.R. Rehman. Each and every relationship is a successful one may it be with a friend, or the spouse or just a stranger met once while travelling. That’s how the saying goes that,”YOU ARE LUCKY IF YOU HAVE GOOD PARENTS, FRIENDS, TEACHERS, MENTORS, COLLEGUES AND PEERS.“ Bet our country will progress at much faster rate and be one of the super powers of the world, dreamt by SardarVallabhbhai Patel, The Iron Man of India.

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In this world, some people get good parents, friends, teachers, or mentors or get to know themselves when they are really young. Children having a god rapport with any of the above, make their lives, by listening to the above people.

When nothing works out for our progress then, we need to calm down, empower ourselves by listening to our inner soulful voice and how to strengthen it that voice so much that we can be on the top of the world. This is all what Dhirubhai did all his life to strengthen his inner soulful voice by hardwork and dream the ultimate successful business empire he wanted to build. He used it eat it, dream it, love it, drink it so that he gets a high to work harder the next day to make his dream come true. He knew that the way to his success is within himself so all he did was to dream about the empire and he did find the ways leading to the creation of the enormous business empire.

Today, yes, maybe though this movie, or even before that people didn’t like the illegal methods Dhirubhai used to expand his business, but even then his rivals have a positive opinion about him and praise his guts.

Well basically,Dhirubhai always knew what he wanted and he made his way by finding people who could help him accomplish the dream. All he said is that I want to do this business guide in everything about it and if you cannot, then he will find a way to make you say yes or find someone better than you to help him with his dream. He will not stop dreaming and working hard because someone said no to him. He commanded the people to help him out. Now in India, this is quiet rude method of asking someone to help. The reason being, that he wants people to him out. But that’s where we are wrong. He asked the people

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to guide him that’s it and he will help himself out. And within no time we will hear that he has achieved a new milestone towards his ultimate goal. To ask help is one of the most negative things to do in our society. If we want help, then we must ask politely. And wait for our turn to get the help because there are other people in the queue before us. But both in the movie, the character Gurukant Desai and DhirubhaiAmbani asked people to guide them and not help them out because they believed in the saying “GODHELPS ONLY THOSE WHO HELPS THEMSELVES”.DhirubhaiAmbani has this tremendous fire within him which is his inner soulful voice, and day by day he fuelled it so much with his hard work. He found answers to the questions that he asked that he reached his ultimate dream despite the heartbreaking efforts done by politicians, the nation and jurisdiction.

As said by Sri SriRavishankar, A MAN HAS SO MUCH ENERGY THAT HE CAN LIGHT A WHOLE NEW YORL CITY!!!! And DhirubhaiAmbani is a live example of the above saying. And if even 5% of our population works in this direction, the whole country, will soon become a super power one day.

There are so many Hindi songs to empower ourselves, Like

Jeenakya from Om jai Jagdish

Ashaayein from Iqbal

Lakshya title song from Lakshya

These songs really empower us. They are composed and sung with the idea that someone in India will make it to the top of the country by self-inspiration and self-empowerment.

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Dhirubhai is a self-inspired and self-empowered person. And thus he did not wait for some outer agency to motivate him. This is very well cinematographed in the character of Gurukant Desai, in this movie.

Every person’s soulful voice, can be as strong as DhirubhaiAmbani’s, we just have to realize that and “ARISE, AWAKE AND STOP NOT TILL THE GOAL IS REACHED.” Imagine success as a true reality, eat it, drink it, breathe it, believe it, word it and dream the ultimate success of our lives. And then automatically we will be paving the road to that success. Then see the power that’s generated from within us. Success will reach us in no time: but yes we have to work hard day and night for it. We have to make small sacrifices for the ultimate goal in our lives. The difference is that Success comes to us if we believe in ourselves. All we have to do is that we have to believe in ourselves and give meaning to our lives by believing each and every word that we utter, each and every thought that passes through our minds. Words have greatest strength and when they are coupled with hard work SUCCESS COMES TO US. Lets make it clear, we do not have to reach success, success finds us. It’s this difference of belief that Dhirubhai believed in.

In this movie, just before the panel of judges pronounced their verdict, Gurubhai, is given a chance to speak up on his asking only. When the judge asks him the reason for not speaking in the previous sessions, Gurukant Desai said “Aajkeliyeaawaazbachaakerakhithi, Sahaab. Mein baniyaahunsahaab, harcheezkafaydanuksaansochkarkharchkartahun.” These words are so powerful and depict that what a thorough businessman Guru is, and so is Dhirubhai in his real life.

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Words have the strength of changing the world for us, the only thing we have to do is to believe in them. Our thinking power is so strong that success comes to us. Our words and our thoughts will never fail us. As, they come directly from the perfect soul within us. We are all a part of God. Hence we can all be as perfect as we want to be and be on the top of the world. All we need to do is give our words meaning, our unsaid thoughts and unsaid emotions words, believe in them and work towards them to make it the biggest reality of our lives. We all need to love ourselves much more than our family, friends, relatives, colleagues and others. We are all very beautiful from inside. Just let that beauty get absorbed in our physical body and then see the difference that we can make for ourselves. When the soul’s beauty is enhanced, automatically people around us, get positive vibes and also want to be as beautiful as we are.

DhirubhaiAmbani’s biography and business tactics, are read worldwide today. The very essence of his life is that the power to make success mine is within myself. There is God within myself and I can achieve the wildest dream of my life as the ultimate success. It is not important how long we live but how we live our lives. We also need to learn to weave our lives around our inner soulful voice.

Dhirubhai was not a baby born with a silver spoon. He wanted to give his sons Mukesh and Anil the best opportunities to study and make their own lives. No one could dampen his iron will power . He is a real man and no matter what he did at the end of the day his rated himself in the Indian market to Rs. 70 crore!!! Let us name him as the rags to riches Bill Gates of India. And now he is the Father of Modern Economics too!!!

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Dhirubhai, never ever compares judged or humiliated himself no matter what the whole nation, media, politicians, buearocrats or aristocrats said about him. All he knows is that he is constantly proving himself better than what his last performance is. He sharpened his skills that are required to where he is right now. The only person he proved his, himself. He finds it rather stupid not to prove himselfand to prove the whole nation so that the nation proclaims him as the biggest business tycoon or the rags to riches millionaire. He knows that this is a rat race and if he leaves his inner soulful voice behind, he will not reach the top at this speed. So he heard it and let the whole world aside and conquered his own dream and the success did come to him. He carried himself in such a majestic manner knowing that, that he is the master (Guru) of his own business. This is where the name of the movie comes from. DhirubhaiAmbani is the GURU of the largest business Empire in India- Reliance.

From the movie point of view, excellent sets, script, cinematography, choreography, music, lyrics, screenplay, the dialogue writing and the dialogue delivery. Excellent characters played by AbhishekBachchan, AishawaryaRaiBachchan, VidhyaBalan, R. Madhavan and MithunChakroborty. Yet, another masterpiece desingned by the famous duo, Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rehman.

The way Mani Ratnam has brought out the character of DhirubhaiAmbani in Gurukant Desai is a fantabulous job. Each and every miniscule detail of Dhirubhai’slife, has been given utmost attention to its perfection. And the way, each and every character has been designed around Guru’s surrounding is also commendable. The use of the precise language, where to put in a punch with a wit in it is

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an art in itself. Yes there is some masala added to make the movie go a big hit on the commercial front but overall I enjoyed each and every part of it.

The beauty of this movie is that, that Mani Ratnam has directed at such a level that even a layman in art can get the message across. Playing Guru’s role is a heavy task on Abhishek Bachchan, but wow this man has proved himself that at least in this movie he is the GURU. I guess that all his family members must be very proud of him. He has done a fantabulous job and proved himself that he is the best.

I have seen this movie at least 15-20 times from start to end. Yes I know each and every dialogue that is delivered, where, how and in which circumstances. The reason behind seeing such a movie is that, I get to empower myself. And by fueling my desire to become something big every time I see this movie. I want to self-inspire myself so I am at the top may it be Architecture, Writing, Singing, Photography or a Homemaker.

When Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rehman decide to join hands together to design a movie, it’s a masterpiece. They are the Gurus in their own field of Direction and Music.

From an architectural point of view, loved the Hagia Sophia mosque, being cinematographed. The depicting of the early India, the old stock exchange market, and the typical early 1900s Bombay streets, Marine Drive is all what matters in making of a masterpiece. The sensitivity with which Mani Ratnam has selected the sets, actors, cast, crew, music and the lyrics commands a standing ovation from the audience. And with the same sensitivity, A. R. Rehman also designed the music for the movie. Both of them know that they wanted to make

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this movie, Guru, a big milestone in their career, and they gave everything to it be it money time, space, energy worked 24 hours round the clock till the perfection is achieved. No other than both Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rehman could have done a better job. Both of them are self-empowered. And the satisfaction that they got after seeing it on the big screen is something that they cannot put it into words. And no movie critic , media, and no common man can say or write. I would also like to congratulate each and every man behind the screen and onscreen that they have done a commendable job, the lighting man, the fashion designers, the makeup men, the choreographers etc. And the way the Gujarati family has been brought out in this film and the typicality of the Gujarati as a language is very well artistically presented in the dialogue delivery. That’s the most miniscule point of the movie but then it becomes the backbone of the movie. The strength behind Dhirubhai Ambani comes from a typical Gujarati business family.

Each and every Bollywood movie isn’t perfect without music and dance. The lyrics for the songs of the movie, has been designed by none other than Gulzar - the master of the Hindi poetry.

The art of mixing the Indian Classical Vocal music along with the contemporary music is what, A.R. Rehman is a Guru of. Fantastic range of music has been designed and catered to us. And also the credit goes to all the playback singers, SunidhiChauhan for Maahiyaa, Shreya Ghoshal for Barso re, A.R. Rehman for Jaage, TereBina and Hariharran for Aye Hairate and Ek lo ek muft.

I believe in each and every dialogue of Guru character. Amongst them, one of my favourite is when he meets Rajiv Gandhi and he says to Guru that he has heard a lot about him. Guru’s answer is that when

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people talk a lot about you then believe that you are progressing more and more daily. This is the same thing that Lal Bahadur Shastri’s father said when asked by the press after his son became the Prime Minister that now that his son will have more enemies then before. This means that Lal Bhadur Shastri, has done good social work for the benefit of our country and so obviously people will feel jealous and have enmity towards him. And because he is now the Prime Minsiter, he will keep on doing social work with full authority in the benefit of the nation.

The verdict of the jury was very interesting. Only 2 out of 39 charges were found guilty so Guru had to pay the compensation money. The attitude with which he gave away the money is, MY VALUE IS MORE THAN 70 CRORE RUPEES, N I JUST HAVE TO PAY IN COUPLE OF LAKHS (Millions), take it as neither I am upset nor has anyone dampened my courageous soul to move ahead. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

That’s the Guru, the actual Dhiru Ambani is in his real life. Salutation to this great rags to riches millionaire. Wow!!! What a masterpiece we watch and everytime we get inspired and empowered by ourselves!!!!

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