Ghajini

An 'Indianised' Memento, Ghajini is a masala pot-boiler revenge film that is low on distinctiveness, instead relying on vibrant cinematography, over-the-top action sequences, and superlative performances by Aamir Khan and Asin to deliver the goods. Not surprisingly, Ghajini is another tour-de-force turn by Aamir Khan, as he effectively takes to the skin of his character, exuding the laundry list of human emotion, and even bordering on animal-like in his revenge-driven state. Elsewhere, Asin infuses the right-amount of over-the-top histrionics, charm, and girl-power to make her character appealing and ultimately the emotional center-point of the film. The rest of the cast is barely adequate, with the so-called medical student, police inspector, and the main villain verging on the comedic with their clichéd, wooden performances. But, it didn't really matter. The main characters were crafted with such integrity and likability that by the end, I can honestly admit I was on the verge of tears. In the end, Ghajini was a somewhat unremarkable film that was lifted by its high-emotional quotient and some outstanding compositions by A.R. Rahman (Guzarish, Kaise Mujhe), the screeching background score aside. Worth watching once.

Ghajini is an out an out action thriller set at the backdrop of romance and revenge drama. Its almost a frame 2 frame remake of Tamil hit Ghajini, which was originally inspired by Memento. Since I loved both the versions. It was difficult to expect anything newer or better from the Hindi version. So the verdict would mostly revolve around "did the makers ensure the benchmarks are met". Its a definite 'A' for being able to meet the gigantic expectations. No, the director has not disappointed you.

The high points are the few thrills that are part of the narrative, the edge of the seat kinds.

While avoiding comparisons, Aamir is done a terrific job playing a confused and furious person in search of the killer of girl friend. His corporate getup was styled differently and looks convincing. I can already sense, the style being a rave shortly in the corporate dressing. His toned up body looks fab, and justifies few of the over the top fights.

Asin has won my heart again, din't think she would be able to do so, repeating the feat she did 2 years ago. In few of the reels she literally stole the movie from Aamir. The climax is different and is better picturised.

Overall when you leave the theatre you do feel if you missed something.. I can only sum up the following could be why i felt so..

1. I knew the story and could predict the dialogues in advance. 2. The length was a mild problem 3. The action sequences looked dated in parts, one blow and 4 on the ground. 4. The originals were too good to repeat it.

Oh I wished, I had the bliss of not having watched the originals, to take a fresh look at it.

For the humongous effort of the team, go watch it if you are hungry for masalas beyond cakes and wine this holiday season..

An exuberantly excessive and unreasonably entertaining mash-up of musical-comedy romance, action-Variety movie mayhem and psycho-thriller suspense.

After a long and tedious wait Ghajini arrived. There was a lot of skepticism about it being a direct rip of its Tamil counterpart as well as Memento. However when one enters the movie theatre, those factors are hardly on one's mind. And any thought of all those things indeed vanished from my head the moment the movie started.

Ghajini is one of the best thrillers to have come out of the Bollywood stable in recent years. And to top it all, it has a nice dose of humour as well. Aamir Khan once again proves that he's not just the best in business, but he's the one leading the way for Bollywood to make better movies. Indeed as many users have mentioned the villain Ghajini does not look menacing enough. But lets face it, gone are the days when villains used to be called Mogambo. And gone are the days when villains used to have a scar faced appearance. The new age villain is what Ghajini is.

The acting is superb to say the least. (Although Jiah Khan really spoils the party. She's better at romancing a senior citizen than playing such characters.) Asin is absolutely brilliant and leaves a lasting impression. She makes you feel the depth and the pain of the "Kalpana was killed" tattoo. And finally, Aamir Khan. Well, what more can one say about this man who has changed the landscape of Bollywood movies. Once again he delivers a power packed performance, I could almost feel his emotions within me!

Watch this movie for its complexity and its simplicity. The complex character of Sanjay and the beautiful and cute Kalpana makes this movie one of the best movies of 2008. What an amazing way of making the year so special!

A lot of critics have condemned this film as being a mere remake of the highly acclaimed and popular Hollywood film 'Memento'. While there is no doubt that this film is at the very least loosely inspired from Memento, to call it a complete rip-off would not only be a stretch of the imagination demanded greater suspension of disbelief than that required for viewing either movie, but would also be unfair to the effort Murgadoss and the rest of the team have put into developing this epic for an Indian audience. Rather, it would be best to view this film as a separate entity, something not quite at the standards of Hollywood's best but certainly above the usual clichéd Bollywood fare.

Ghajini tells the story of a man called Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan), who suffers from a condition called Anterograde amnesia, which prevents him from forming new memories, as a result of which he is unable to remember anything for more than around 15 minutes. This condition was caused by the brain damage he suffered when hit on the head by an iron rod, during a violent attack on him which also resulted in the death of his lover, Kalpana (Asin). Haunted night and day by fragmented memories of the incident, he is driven to near-madness with rage and embarks on a quest to avenge the death of his love, by hunting down the gang behind the attack-his ultimate targets being a Mob lord about whom he knows nothing save for a single name-'Ghajini'. In order to compensate for his short term memory loss, he uses a system of notes, Polaroid photographs and tattoos on his body to remind himself of the facts he has gathered during his quest and the progress he has made. Along the way, he encounters a medical student named Sunita (Jiah Khan) who is intrigued by his condition and wishes to study him and thus ends up being dragged into his violent life. The story of Sanjay's violent quest alternates with extended flashback sequences of his happy pre-amnesiac past as a savvy corporate honcho and tells the tale of his romance with lively ad model Kalpana and the circumstances which led up to the incident that caused her death and his memory loss. Ultimately, the film comes full circle in an awe-inspiring climax when past and present collide to bring a fulfilling end to the story.

Aamir Khan proves his versatility as an actor yet again, playing not one, not two but three roles in this film. As Sanjay Singhania, the savvy corporate honcho, he is polite, yet has a brisk and efficient air to him (a lot like his real life self). As 'Sachin', a struggling actor romancing Kalpana he plays the shy and unassuming everyman, albeit one replete with both confidence and sincerity. And finally, most notably, he plays the post-amnesiac Sanjay, an almost insane inhuman monster, a killing machine consumed by rage and bloodlust, haunted by shattered memories and yet lost, confused and disoriented whenever his periodic memory loss kicks in. Perhaps one of the best scenes in the film is one early on where, waking up at home, Sanjay wanders through his house clueless, having no idea where he is, until he reaches a mirror on which is written a note which tells him to remove his T-shirt whereupon he sees the tattoos that remind him of his lover's death and his quest to avenge her and cause him to be suddenly overpowered by rage and a desire for vengeance-a transition which we observe several times over the course of the film. Asin does a pretty good job as the bubbly and vivacious Kalpana, making her a likable character who's brutal murder does create the impact on the audience's mind which makes us truly sympathise with Sanjay's quest. Jiah Khan does okay as the medical student who gets dragged into Sanjay's quest for revenge while Pradeep Rawat may come across as an over-the-top clichéd bad guy in his role as the titular 'Ghajini'-but it works well for the story, believe it or not.

This film is actually two films in that the darker 'present day sequences' of Sanjay's orgies of violence seem to belong to an entirely different genre from the lighter comedic flashback sequences, though the shattering of Sanjay's happy past life makes us understand the driving force behind his present day violence. The style of music, dialogue and even settings for both sets of sequences is drastically different as a result-where on one hand you have fancy office blocks, garden parties and the beach side, on the other hand you have seedy back lanes and darkened parking lots.

On the whole despite a few ridiculous plot holes, Ghajini is definitely one of the most entertaining, if not one of the best, films of Bollywood in recent years.