The Guru

Ramu Gupta leaves Delhi for New York, convinced that America is where his dreams of fame will come true. A dance teacher with a love of Hollywood musicals, he struggles to find work as a performer and ends up waiting tables in an Indian restaurant. Through a series of misunderstandings, he is taken for a spiritual teacher whose guidance involves sex, and New York society beats a path to his door. As his reputation grows, he must weigh his sudden success against his feelings for Sharonna, a woman who knows him as he really is. The comedy was directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer, following her debut Madeline (1998) and preceding Frenemies (2012), from a screenplay by Tracey Jackson. Jimi Mistry plays Ramu, with Heather Graham as Sharonna, Marisa Tomei as his admirer Lexi, Michael McKean, Dash Mihok and Emil Marwa among a credited cast of 61.

The film is a co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, made for a budget of 11 million dollars, and it took around 24 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.4 from roughly 16,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.3 from around 255 votes. A critics' rating of 5.5 from 87 reviews sits close to those audience scores, suggesting broadly similar reactions from both groups. At 91 minutes, the film blends comedy, drama and romance as it follows Ramu's unlikely rise and the choice it forces on him.