Ghanjini-All reviews here - Page 3

AAMIR Khan always knew the importance of being earnest, ever since his Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak days. Taare Zameen Par saw his zeal taking on new colours. The actor not only made his directorial debut with the film, but also displayed a newfound desire to dabble with meaningful cinema, after attaining a career-high in regular mainstream glitz.

With Ghajini , he once again does a U-turn. He waltzes back to the no-holds-barred formula, once again. And he does it with the same earnestness with which he made a Ghulam, a Sarfarosh . Of course, his wounded, battered, bicep-laden, revenge-thirsty Sanjay Singhania of Ghajini is a much more mature and masterly rendition of the familiar action hero of mainstream masala .

The high point of Ghajini is Aamir Khan's class act of the hero who switches from a shy, taciturn tycoon who finds love in the alley -- with an ekdum ordinary girl -- to a vulnerable killing machine who mauls his prey like a wounded tiger. Roars and grunts, included! Aamir has hardly anything to say in the entire film. And yet, he speaks volumes -- with his silences, his expressions, his body language, his helplessness, his guttural, anguished shrieks and then his vacant stare again.

A man who suffers from short term memory loss must not only remember the horror of his past, but seek out his beloved's (Asin) killers too and finish them off. Even though, he might just forget what he's doing while battering them. All he has to help him in his mission are a few scrawls on his body, his walls, his unfinished diaries, his polaroid snapshots, his fading memory cells and a friendly medical student (Jiah Khan). Not much to go by, specially when the bad guys (Pradeep Rawat and co.) choose to erase most of the clues, including his tattoos.

Aamir scores not only as the action hero, where he brings back old-fashioned physical combat to Bollywood guts and gore, but he impresses as the diffident biz honcho too who is willing to travel in buses and scootys with his buoyant Ms Congeniality. Only because she thinks he's a struggling model who might just be ready to shoot for a 'chaddi' ad in his desperation.

The other place where the film scores is in its narration. Loosely inspired by Christopher Nolan's Memento , the film moves back and forth in time, as it juxtaposes an effervescent romance in the past against a brutalised, spaced-out present. The two time zones criss-cross interestingly, leaving enough suspense to keep the viewer attentive.

The film also boasts of a polished act by Asin who makes her debut in Bollywood with a spontaneous rendition of the good Samaritan Mumbai girl who breezes her way through life, with a smile and a helping hand for all and sundry. A R Rahman's music score too has a few chart busters, like 'Gujarish' and the excellently choreographed 'Behka'.

So what's the hitch, you might ask. Firstly, the film needs some tighter editing, specially in the fight sequences. Second, it needed a real bad guy who could live up to the eponymous character. Pradeep Rawat as Mr Ghajini, with his white shoes, his gold tooth and his ho-hallah brigade isn't as menacing as the title would like us to believe. And lastly, the heroine's conflict with Mr Ghajini -- the fulcrum of the revenge drama -- just happens out of the blue. Not quite convincing.

All in all, Ghajini is a thoroughbred Bollywood film which celebrates the formula with panache. Enjoy the unadulterated desi!

http://www.india.com/entertainment/movie_reviews/movie_review_ghajini_2193

If Akshay Kumar had a Singh Is Kinng and Shah Rukh had an Om Shanti Om, Aamir Khan finally has his Ghajini. This star driven, mega hyped action flick is an Aamir Khan vehicle from start to finish.

For years Aamir the actor has been praised for his ability to rise above his super stardom. But this time around it's the star who towers over the film. For the first time, Aamir Khan has perhaps become bigger than the film. He dances, he fights and does just about everything a stereotypical Hindi film hero is expected to. In the process he delivers a three-hour-hour plus formula film that's designed to keep all its investors happy. So by the time the true verdict on Ghajini emerges, the film would have broken new records. Monetarily.

Fans of Khan who swear by his choice of subjects may be in for a rude shock. This film is as commercial as Bollywood can get.

The simple formula:

By now Ghajini's plot is pretty well known. Hindi cinema's most tried and tested theme - revenge - is reproduced with a slick, modern twist. But the heart is vintage Bollywood. Remake of the hugely successful Tamil film by the same name, Ghajini draws basic inspiration from the Christopher Nolan film Memento. But the similarities with Memento begin and end with the tattoos and Polaroid camera. That aside Ghajini is a straightforward, no nonsense, violent, revenge drama about one man's search for his girlfriend's killer.

Victim of a brutal head injury, business tycoon Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan) suffers from short-term memory loss. His daily routine depends on a bunch of photographs and series of reminders spread all over his house. In his quest to find the murderer Ghajini (Pradeep Rawat), he tattoos the clues and leads on his body that keep reminding him about his unfinished business. Helping him is a medical student played by Jiah Khan whose real contribution to his search is a scooter and shouting just at the right time during Sanjay's fistfights.

The charming love story:

Ghajini's strength lies in its gripping screenplay. As the plot unfolds and you find out more about Sanjay's story, there is little time for the viewer to think. The raw action sequences are amongst the finest you will see in a long, long time. Watching Aamir's character grapple with his 15 minute memory span makes for an engaging watch.

After a racy first half hour begins the flashback. And instead of watering down the impact of this action film, Aamir and Asin's romantic track turns out to be the biggest highlight of the film. Again like most Bollywood romances it's a misunderstanding that brings the couple together. But the situations are just so hilarious, (performed with equal aplomb by the lead players) that you forget it's an action thriller. And when the track returns in the second half, the unfortunate end to the love story doesn't fail to touch you. In fact once the curtains are down you are most likely to remember the romantic portions of film.

Violence gone overboard:

The rest of the movie gets gorier as the reels progress. Given the unfortunate events, the violence seems justified. But as a viewer, it's bit of a turn-off. The original Ghajini catered to a different sensibility perhaps. But the Bollywood multiplex audience, which contributes a sizable chunk to any Hindi film's initial revenue, is taken in by Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Dostana and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. And when it comes to action, a stytlised Race, is what seems to work.

Ghajini's violent content will definitely be hard to stomach for family audiences and children. Mind you what is shown in the Hindi remake is still a toned down version of the Tamil original. At the end of a turbulent year and hoping to draw succour from the festive spirit of Christmas, this may not be the common man's idea of an entertainer. Though very well shot, Aamir's chases and street fights become repetitive after a point. He almost ends up doing a Sunny Deol by single handedly bashing up a dozen men. Across single screens of India though, masses might lap up Ghajini and herald the return of action. The star seems to perform to spirited whistles and catcalls.

Original vs. Remake:

Most of the film is a frame-to-frame remake with far superior production values. The last half hour of the movie bears no resemblance to the original. Aamir claims to have improved upon the original's weaknesses. Though one wishes the writers had incorporated a few more twists and turns while scripting the new climax. And though this is an equally effective culmination to the plot, the mystery about the villain and his lookalike has been conveniently dropped in the Hindi version. This robs the villain's character of the edge the original one enjoyed.