New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Known for making a fine art out of commercial cinema, acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam has with "Guru" once again rekindled Indian cinema's hopes of a crossover success like Oscar-winning director Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

The underrated filmmaker from southern India, who is much loved and equally accused of compromising for the sake of commercial success, has taken the first step towards targeting American audiences by premiering his latest film - "Guru", starring Abhishek in the title role - in America.

Hitherto, the most visible face of Indian cinema internationally has been Bollywood stars backed by the mighty Yash Raj Films or by Karan Johar.

The star-studded targeted marketing of "Guru" to a global audience is more than welcome, trade observers say.

Speaking about the strategy about the overseas marketing of "Guru", advisor Charles Kiel says that the success of Chinese production "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" goes to show that if marketed sensitively even a film with subtitles can be a huge hit in America.

"This notion that you can just market a film the same way to everybody is a recipe for disaster."

"Guru", he notes, got off to a good start with its glitzy premiere, which was also attended by the film's leading lady Aishwarya Rai. Still, its subtitles (the dialogue is mostly in Hindi) could pose a challenge for mainstream North American audiences.

"Guru" spans several decades to tell its story of an ambitious young villager who rises to become the newly independent India's first successful homegrown industrialist, but not without indulging in some corrupt practices along the way.