The Guru

Skip the endless scrolling — The Guru is exactly the comedy you were looking for. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 5/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Jimi Mistry — stay for everyone else around them. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

The Guru arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The jokes in The Guru land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Bored with Bollywood movies but fascinated with their Hollywood counterparts from his youth, Ram dreams to become a singer and actor in America, the country where dreams are made. He is encouraged when his American-based close friend, Vijay Rao, comes for visit, and brags about driving a Mercedes and living in a penthouse. The chemistry Jimi Mistry and Heather Graham bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. It hit screens in 2002. What keeps The Guru from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

The Guru is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Jimi Mistry is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.

The Guru was released in 2002, directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer. The full 91-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.