Sudha Kongara, who directed the original version of 'Guru', has retained the flavour. The raw and cut-throat disciplinarian coach is there, the rural girl with an innocent charm is there, the brash language is there, the dusty alleys are there...

In what will be one of Venkatesh's significant experimental roles, this one sees the 'Babu Bangaram' making a 180 degree turn. He is no Mother Teresa in a cop. He is in fact a hard-hitting (literally, he hits his female disciple with his legs!) teacher who brooks no indiscipline. Doing a 'Dangal' on his student, who has already developed feelings for him, he calls her names and uses a proverb to drive home a point.

The dance number involving Ritika Singh is where the Tamil nativity is starkly present. Such in-your-face alien idiom, one hopes, doesn't define the film 'Guru'.

Harshavardhan's dialogues, one finds, are a rip off, although there could be more than what the trailer reveals.

Mumtaz Sorcar (PC Sorcar's daughter) will be seen in an important role.

The technical departments seem to be bang on. Santosh Narayan of 'Kabali' fame is the music director.