Toronto Hosts World Premiere of Bollywood's 'Guru'

Toronto's world premiere of Guru marks the emergence of Canada as a distribution territory for Bollywood

When the film Guru had its world premiere at Toronto's Elgin Theatre on January 11th, 2007, it was the first Bollywood film to open outside of India. Toronto was selected as the venue of choice, because it is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Guru is the first Indian film to be distributed by a Canadian Distributor, Roger Nair Productions, marking the emergence of Canada as a separate distribution territory for Indian Cinema and signals an emergence of the city of Toronto as a global player.

"The film's premiere reflects our multicultural city and our connections around the globe," said Mayor David Miller. "This is great for our film industry." Guru continues to fill Cineplex Odeon, Empire and AMC theatres across Canada, marking Bollywood's transition to mainstream audiences, offering a great sense of pride for Indo-Canadians. It is the highest grossing movie in the GTA.

Directed by Mani Ratman, the film stars the son of legendary actors Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Buchchan, and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. Rai is among the highest paid actors in India and one of the few to have achieved international fame, after starring in crossover films, such as Bride and Prejudice. She has appeared on David Letterman, Oprah, 60 Minutes and done endorsements for products such as L'Oreal.

The controversial 2-1/2 hour film is rumoured to be based on the life of Indian industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. Guru tells the story of a young man, who lives in the small village of Idhar, in Gujarat. After traveling abroad and returning home, he works his way up from rags to riches, through sheer determination and personal drive. The film signifies how India has built itself up to be one of the foremost economic powerhouses in the world.

India has the largest film industry world-wide, selling $3.1-billion in Bollywood tickets and creating over 900 films, yearly. This can be compared to Hollywood, producing $2.9-Billion in ticket sales and 500 films, annually. Bollywood relies heavily on audiences from overseas markets, including Britain, the U.S. and Canada.

Guru can be seen at select Famous Players, AMC and Empire theatres in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and peripheries.

Mani Ratnam's often absorbing Guru is sort of a Bollywood Citizen Kane, a decades-spanning drama with a compelling Abhishek Bachchan as a ruthless Indian business tycoon who refuses to take no for an answer
- New York Post

Given a rich, multidimensional role, Mr. Bachchan ably seizes on its abundant opportunities
- The New York Times

South India's leading director, Mani Ratnam, again ventures north into the Hindi scene with "Guru," a rags-to-riches drama typically seasoned with a political message.. Beyond the Bollywood circuit, festivals may bite on this, as with the helmer's past movies
- Variety

For specific locations, visit www.rogernairproductions.com