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Posted: 16 years ago
#31
Ghajini Indore Multiplexes Paid Previews

Thursday 25th December 2008 19.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Ghajini opened at Indore multiplexes yesterday and recorded 100% collections which were simply phenomenal. Below are thye collections for Wednesday evening

PVR-1,17,300
Inox-93,400
Adlabs-1,20,900
Velocity-75,100
Total-4,06,700

http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=661&nCat=news
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Posted: 16 years ago
#32
Ghajini Opens To Unheard Unparalleled Response

Thursday 25th December 2008 20.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Ghajini has taken an unheard unparalleled response all over India. The trade has words like earth shattering and mind boggling to describe openings but with Ghajini there are no words to describe the opening. The film has smashed every first day record at every centre where it has been released. We have had many 95-100% openings in the last few year but with opening of Ghajini thw margin reduces to 98-100% and the last time this happened was Gadar which also was 98-100% all over India but that was in 300 cinemas while Ghajini is taken a 98-100% opening on a record release of around 1100 cinemas.

The four day weekend is likely to yield nett business ranging between 35-40 crore and a distributor share ranging between 20-24 crore. History has been created on day one and weekend will follow. The film could emerge the first 100 crore nett grosser in the history of hindi cinema.

http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=663&nCat=news
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Posted: 16 years ago
#33

Ghajini – Movie Review


Behindwoods Movie Review Board

Starring: Aamir Khan, Asin, Jiah Khan

Direction: A.R. Murugadoss

Music: A.R. Rahman

Production: Tagore Madhu, Madhu Mantena


Aamir Khan, the perfectionist is back with his new movie Ghajini. And for the first time in his career he has acted in a South remake. As always the marketing push by Aamir was exhilarating. The marketing done for the movie can be taken as a case study in many b schools as it tried uncharted terrains. With such a brilliant plan converted into hype, it made Ghajini the most sought after title to be released this season. Has it lived up to its humongous expectations? A definite Yes!

This Hindi remake of the Tamil Ghajini which was again an inspiration from Hollywood's Memento pleased everyone with a tight screenplay and a top notch performance from the lead actors.

The movie is about Sanjay(Aamir), a millionaire, who falls in love with Kalpana(Asin) a model. Kalpana gets into a hustle with a local gunda, Ghajini, who kills her and hits Sanjay with a rod which makes him a short term memory loss patient. Now Sanjay should fight against all odds to avenge the death of his beloved. How he does it with the help of a medical student Sunita (Jiah) forms the rest of the story.

Audiences who have seen the Tamil version can get a little bored as A.R.Murugadoss has made very few changes to the script and scenes until the last 30 minutes. The screenplay is well laced with interesting events which makes the 3 hours running time well worth the ride. What, When and How are questions you should never ask in any masala movie, but there are a few scenes which does sparkle against its Tamil version. The last 30 minutes for instance is very good when compared to the Tamil version whose climax was literally laughable.


Cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran is a major plus, as the pro has fully utilized the freedom the director has given and come up with stylish presentation of the scenes and innovatively captured songs sequences. Behka and Ae Bhachu song will surely sparkle in his already sparkling repertoire. His last see-saw camera movement at the fag end of the movie is just poetic. Editing is top notch. Stunts are choreographed brilliantly as it relies more on raw power than over the top flying antics. Music by A.R.Rahman gels well with the overall feel of the movie, Ghuzarish, Behka and all the other songs are brilliant compositions from the master musician but the background score is jarring at times, especially the Villian's BG which is certainly not expected from the Maestro.

Aamir lives the role of Sanjay Singhania. If Vikram took a dog as an inspiration for his portrayal in Pithamagan, Aamir has taken a tiger for inspiration. His acting in the pulse pounding climax is a proof of how matured an actor he is; the pain, the intensity, the anger he showed here is so high that we could actually believe that the wound and damage attained by the strong henchmen of the villain is actually possible. As the sophisticated millionaire he is dignified and looks very handsome. His overly debated 8 packs has been flaunted effectively which is quite needed for the movie. Asin has done her role with lan, but the chirpiness in the Tamil version was missing a wee bit in this version but still a strong debut in Bollywood- kudos. Jiah Khan has a meaty role and she has used the opportunity to the fullest. She is a complete natural. Pradeep Rawant as Ghajini has done a brilliant job, much better than the Tamil Ghajini. Riaaz Khan who again dons the inspector role was over the top most of the time and a complete let down

Overall the movie is a well packaged action masala entertainer, with some great acting, a tight screenplay, great music and some extraordinary action which makes it a complete paisa vasool. Go for it.


Verdict – A complete masala entertainer

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-reviews/reviews-2/ghajini-25-12-08.html

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Posted: 16 years ago
#34

Ghajini – Movie Review

By Naresh K. D.
Thu, Dec 25, 2008 14:20 IST

If you can digest an overdose of physical violence, then Ghajini is a film you shouldn't miss for Aamir Khan's unforgettable performance.

It's been years since I saw a Hindi film that had so few dialogues for the leading man. Quite unlikely for a masala movie about romance and revenge! Stoically, Aamir Khan walks and rips through the film with the charm of a Casanova and the beastliness of a vengeful man, and delivers a performance that will be remembered even though the movie itself may be forgotten after a few months.

'Ghajini' is a film that ought to be seen for the sheer novelty of its theme. Inspired – and to some extent, lifted – from Hollywood's 'Memento', it tells the story of a man who can't remember anything beyond 15 minutes. He suffers from short term memory loss. But somehow he has found ways to remind himself of just one thing – that he has to find and kill the man whose name his murdered lover ( Asin ) whispered in his ear just moments before he too was hit on the head with an iron rod, never to fully recover his memory again. So, through tattoos and polaroids and notes he keeps reminding himself of just one aim – to find Ghajini, the killer whose face and whereabouts he neither knows, nor can remember.




As our amnesiac hero, Sanjay Singhania (Aamir), closes in on Ghajini and goes about bumping off one bad guy after another, we are given repeated flashbacks into his past life, when he fell in love with a struggling model Kalpana (Asin), an Indianized version of the French 'Amelie' who helps the poor and needy on the streets. It is this very quality of Kalpana that makes her the target of a gangster, who hunts her down and kills her.

Now, Sanjay, with his limited memory and eight pack abs, lives for one purpose – revenge. He is like a loose canon, a self-propelled torpedo that keeps veering off the course and leaves behind a trail of broken bones, wrung necks and pummeled jaws wherever he passes through.

And oh! I almost forgot. There's also Sunita ( Jiah Khan ), a medical student interested in the case study of our amnesiac hero. She's a frail collegian who hinders and helps Sanjay in his mission.

Director A.R. Murugadoss tells a long story at a brisk pace and shows no frugality in depicting violence in all its goriness. It is blood curdling stuff gruesomely glorified. Stuff that gives you the heebie-jeebies! It's mostly hand-to-hand combat with frequent use of iron rods that serve the sole purpose as skull-crushers. Repulsive!

But if you have stomach for such revolting violence, you would enjoy sitting through 'Ghajini' for many reasons. First, it's unique plot. Second, Aamir's mind-blowing acting. Third, Asin's confident debut in a heart-winning performance. Jiah Khan is appropriately cast in a role that doesn't demand much from her. Pradeep Rawat, as the antagonist, is menacing.

There is a gaping hole that yawns right at the very base of Ghajini's story. If a man can't remember that his lover was killed or who killed her, why does he need to remind himself again and again to take revenge. Wouldn't his vengeance wane away with his memory? Murugadoss should have established some internal link that keeps pushing the protagonist back to his mission – something like sporadic dreams or memory flashes.

Anyway, realism is something you shouldn't expect from 'Ghajini'. It's a full-on masala film that is stylishly shot and has above average music by A R Rahman . It's a film that needs to be enjoyed with mouthful of cola and fistful of popcorns even though the no-holds-barred violence keeps getting on your nerves. Despite its long duration of three-plus hours, the movie, with its quick pace, doesn't weigh heavy, and leaves you with a mind out of time. Anterograde Amnesia, anyone?

Rating: ***1/2


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Posted: 16 years ago
#35
Ghajini (Hindi) Movie Review
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Ghajini (Hindi) - Aamir's 'mementoes' to Bollywood
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, December 25, 2008]

And at the end of this year, there's a bedazing blockbuster in Indian Box office. Here comes our maestro of perfection swaying on with a different genre from his previous ventures. Merely, producers wouldn't have considered Ghajini as an 'Empaling Speculation' for enormous reasons. Well, when you've South India's top-charting Director, Bollywood's superstar, Musical Maestro and versatile technicians teaming up, undoubtedly results are off grandeur. On the buttons, 'Ghajini' is so tremendous on all panoramas of narration and technical aspects. The film had raised everyone's expectations across far-flung corners as Tamil and its Telugu dubbed version had walloping critical acclaims.

So, what's special about Aamir's Ghajini? Thank God! It isn't a copycat of Christopher Nolan's 'Memento' and carries more divergence from Tamil version in latter half. Well, even for those who had soundly watched Tamil version, they're gonna experience an enhanced spirit on emotions. Of course, tho' it's an action-packed thriller, emotions are boundless….

Perhaps, Murugadoss's gripping motif, script and polished screenplay shores on corking grounds with Aamir's more have-to doe with on all vistas. Fine! Let's pretermit Direction and Music, just pick out editing… Mr. Perfectionist's touch is more revealing on Antony's editing. It's more illustrious with each and every cut in 'Bekha'.

Tales centering on amnesias aren't something new in Bollywood, but a unique of its type 'Short Term Memory Loss – An individual losing out his memory for every 15mins' surmounted everyone's expectations. And what else? Aamir's eight-packs had its turn of grabbing everyone's outlooks prior to film's release.

The film isn't as complicated as Memento. Ghajini is a head-spinning venture of Sanjay Sanghania (Aamir Khan) who has determined to avenge for his girlfriend Kalpana's (Asin) death. Protagonist seeking revenge for his ladylove's death; its so clichd, isn't? Nevertheless, his greatest stumbling block is that his memory loses every bit of details for every 15mins. And what doesn't get bleached from his deep memory is death of Kalpana and the name 'Ghajini' (Pradeep Rawat) who murdered her. Again, the biggest obstruction is that Sanjay doesn't remember antagonist's identity.

With a Polaroid camera, a cell phone in his hands and alarms beeping on every 15th minute, Sanjay has to tread settling his scores.

Screenplay is narrated on two separate chronicles; present life and flashback sequences of Sanjay. It's so gripping that you would ne'er feel restless or look at your watches throughout the complete show of 180mins. Except, 45mins of next-to-last sequences, there isn't any slight changes from original version and characterizations have been marvelously depicted.

'Wordlessly stupendous' – Aamir Khan or Mr. Perfectionist, whatever you like to call him, he is simply brilliant. Just note this down, unlike his previous flicks 'Rang De Basanthi', 'Fanaa' and 'Taare Zameen Par'; he has nothing do with dialogues. Perhaps, it's Asin, Jiah Khan and Pradeep Rawat who jump on uttering more words. For everyone, who were fond of this line 'Actions Speaks More than Words', you'll witness it with Aamir Khan. He emotes spectacularly with his facial expressions and gestures. For instances, watch him out in 'Bekha' where he spells the most minute expressions with brightness. While taking revenge, it's not the furiousness that's disclosed on his face, but the outburst of emotions for his lost love.

Of course, Asin deliver an over-the-top performance on every scene. She doesn't strain a lot but creates a deep impact on everyone with her role. She's got a great time here in Bollywood and she will rock with her well-brought-up show.

Don't expect a lot from Jiah Khan, if you were spellbound with her performance in 'Nishabd'. It's about doing justice to her role and her well-enhanced show is evident in penultimate scenes. She has to thank Murugadoss for depicting her so exquisitely.

Pradeep Rawat takes on with a decent role and his portrayal is as powerful as his characterization is so powerful than Aamir.

A.R. Murugadoss – He crowns each of his films with 'Success' and his debut directorial in Bollywood isn't an elision. With a trenchant script and screenplay, he reveals of a detailed work on every frame and shot. Working with Aamir Khan, should've made him fine-tuning his before-now version that yields his laurels from universal audiences. A hunky-dory of its kind, you'll witness a vivid groundwork put forth by the auteur, especially a fine-ending unlike Tamil version. As you step out of theatres, it's all about good shades of protagonist arresting your senses and not about hero's act of vengeance filled with bloodsheds.

A.R. Rahman with his tranfixing tunes steals the show. In particular, as everyone starts heeding to Mandolin's interlude on 'Guzarish', its claps, hails and whistles. Scenarios persist with 'Bekha' and getting to watch Aamir's acts and 6 get-ups, it's an appreciably innovative. 'Kaisa Mujhe' is sure to remain along with these two numbers on the charts of evergreen tunes.

Ravi K Chandran's cinematography requires special mention. Don't miss his stylish shots on exotic locations of 'Guzarish'. A grand round of applause for Location Manager for zeroing down an unforeseen never-never land. Costumes are so convincing and it's so nice to see Asin on finest looks in 'Aye Bachu'.

A matured touch of 'cuts' by Antony brightens up visual quality. Be it exposing Aamir's physiques or catching up for the mood of 'fast running notes in Bekha', he deserves best credits.

The film has whole lot 'A-FACTORS' of Aamir, A.R. Murugadoss, A.R. Rahman and Allu Aravind. Naturally, it's A-ONE quality rendered on their roles.

On the whole, Ghajini ends this year with a great Dhamaka for all universal audiences. For those who watched this year's releases with tentative thoughts, can head for Ghajini to witness 'The best film of this year'. For sure, all Khans, Chopras and Kumars should be eyeing on Murugadoss now while rest of the cast-crew would witness a great new dawn in Bollywood for this New Year.

Verdict: Remember this – It's a blockbuster

Rating:****

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/review/10643.html

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Posted: 16 years ago
#36

Ghajini: Aamir's most commercial film yet

Tags: India Masala, aamir khan, asin, Bollywood, Ghajini, Hindi film

This is a first. Aamir Khan has gone the Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar way — the star in him has given way to the actor. He's finally starred in a film that totally rides on his star power and as you discover once you've watched "Ghajini", it's not such a bad thing after all.

Khan plays Sanjay Singhania, a telecom tycoon, who we are told suffers from short-term memory loss. Singhania's memory is wiped clean after every 15 minutes and to keep himself updated with his life, he has to continuously take pictures of his surroundings, write notes to himself and tattoo important facts on his torso.

All these important facts pertain to his one aim — killing the man who murdered the love of his life. The story moves back and forth, narrating Sanjay's gradual revenge as well as the events that led up to it.

As it turns out, Sanjay was an ordinary man, albeit a rich one. He falls in love with upcoming model Kalpana (Asin), but doesn't reveal his background. Director A. R. Murugadoss takes too much time setting up their romance and dwelling on it. In between, there are some melodious songs by A.R. Rahman that involve the lead pair cavorting around random sand dunes and declaring their undying love for each other. The romance track doesn't add any value to the film; rather it just slackens the pace.

The actual plot, about Sanjay taking revenge, comes alive only midway through the second half.

Director Murugadoss had a choice here — he could have made a masala Hindi film, with all the trappings of song-and-dance and drama, or he could have made a slick, taut action thriller. He chooses to go for the former, and to be fair, does a pretty decent job. I do wish he had paid more attention to developing Sanjay's character, because it does lend itself to some very interesting interpretations. For instance, I would have loved to see how he develops from a suave tycoon to a crazed revenge-seeking beefcake. The "eight-packs" are mere external reflections of what should have been a more defined track in the film.

Both the lead heroines really need to work on their accents, but otherwise do an adequate job. Not that they are expected to do any more. Because ultimately, "Ghajini" is an Aamir Khan film through and through. Whether you like it or you don't, the credit or the blame must go to him and him alone. As the revenge obsessed lover, or the amnesiac, he is brilliant. As the shy boyfriend, he is his old self — from "Dil" and "Ishq". The only place you cringe is when he sports a Mohawk haircut and crazy-looking clothes in a song sequence. The fight sequences aren't very imaginative, nor are the dialogues.

Watch "Ghajini" if you are an Aamir fan, or even if you are looking for some light-hearted entertainment. Don't expect a typical Aamir Khan film though and you won't be disappointed.

http://blogs.reuters.com/indiamasala/2008/12/25/ghajini-aamirs-most-commercial-film-yet/

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Posted: 16 years ago
#37

Review 2 of Ghajini from www.rediff.com :

Ghajini: A sleek album of dark memories
Sukanya Verma
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December 25, 2008 15:41 IST

By now the whole world and their unborn children know Ghajini [Images] has traces of Memento [Images] and is a remake of a Tamil blockbuster of the same name.

Frankly, my dear it doesn't make any difference. People will throng to see it anyway. Some to confirm their suspicions. Others because they enjoyed the Tamil version. Still others because they simply want to see the film and have voluntarily injected themselves with a three hour and 15 minutes-long state of anterograde amnesia to avoid comparisons.

Now, I've never shied away from the fact that I am super excited about watching Ghajini. Finally, I've seen it. And at risk of evoking Christopher Nolan's wrath, I am quite pleased to announce I liked what I saw.

Director AR Murugadoss's [Images] taut thriller is a sleek album of dark memories, which are terrifying to relive and shattering to experience.

Raw rage transforms Aamir Khan's [Images] Sanjay Singhania into a wild animal, a prosthetic-free creature with Spock ears, a furless King Kong who will show aggression at anyone that appears remotely threatening. At first the extremity of his actions leaves you bewildered, a condition he, too, finds himself in, almost immediately after every assault.

Moreover, when you see the actor in all his 8-packs glory, masked in numerous tattoos of random locations and numbers, the reaction is not that of admiration but of horror. The idea, after all, is not to glorify Aamir's painful work-out sessions but to act as a tell-tale saga of a strangely-behaving individual who's been through something terribly tragic.

Ultimately Ghajini builds up steadily towards the flashbacks of this unknown catastrophe, its impact heightened to such extent, it leaves you numb and cold with gripping tension.

This is also the only time Ghajini takes a weak approach in terms of narrative.

Considering the whole Kill Ghajini: Volume 1 (& Only) revolves around this mysterious, heartbreaking doom's day, breaking the flashback down into two disjointed halves, to jump back in the action-packed present, not only disrupts the flow of Sanjay and Kalpana's (Asin [Images]) smoothly budding romance but also disengages us from Asin's character.

Murugadoss insists on the viewer making additional effort to develop a new rapport with her previously established effervescence and extraordinary kindness, post-interval. The spirited debutant, often reminiscent of a young Revathy, has enough pluck and confidence to get the deed done out of you. And she does.

Unlike most action flicks, wherein heroines are nothing more than glamorous provisions, the ladies of Ghajini are no damsels-in-distress. Instead they are always looking out for the troubled hero. These strong-minded, independent women like to take their chances and don't mind stepping into a messy situation even if it means getting dirty. Speaking of which, Jiah Khan [Images] continues to strike as an exquisite and expressive actress. I wish there was more of this intense youngster in this film.

Ghajini isn't the kind of subject that really needs songs. Even so A R Rahman's nifty creations coupled with vibrant, imaginative choreography compel these melodious bouquets to awkwardly squeeze into the proceedings without doing much harm.

Believe it or not, there are plenty of laughs too. The comedy enveloping Sanjay and Kalpana's breezy love story, which involves spoofing commercials, is rather amusing and perfectly in place.

Technically, Ghajini rocks on all fronts. Ravi K Chandran's camerawork works with the efficiency of a chameleon-on-the-move. With the changing mood and momentum of the script, he alters the angles, lighting, contrasts, and accents to view the ensuing madness with palpable dynamism and objectivity. There's a particularly splendid chase sequence in the climax wherein Aamir and Pradeep Rawat (plays the object of contempt with frightening ferocity) sprint through dingy cement crevices, almost like a couple of rodents violently charging in the search of food, Chandran captures it masterfully.

Like Shankar's Nayak, the background score is high-voltage and incredibly dramatic boosting up the volume of violence, which though endurable (even for the faint-hearted) is decidedly visceral, if not 100 per cent gruesome.

Ghajini is, ultimately, a sad film, even if ends on a surprisingly hopeful note. And even if there are flaws, they aren't consistently glaring in your face.

Finally though, Ghajini's greatest strength lies in its leading man -- Aamir Khan. Like he mentions during a conference scene in the film, 'There's a difference between convictions and arrogance.' His performance is dripping with conviction and endless glucose bottles of energy. Even when he's launching punches on men double his height, his body language has enough fervour to break a dozen legs. Khan looks like a man possessed with fury, consumed by unbridled anger and heartbroken beyond repair. His transformation from a articulate tycoon who shares a frame with India's former President (proudly displayed on his cabin wall) to a pitiable lunatic looking to avenge an unseen enemy (again details pasted on a cluttered wall) after every 15 minutes, is rock solid.

Piece of advice: Don't go looking for mementos and souvenirs, you'll have fun. Of the hard-hitting kind, that is.

Rediff Rating:

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Posted: 16 years ago
#38
Ghajini: The Villain

By Bikas Mishra • Dec 25th, 2008 • Filed under: Bollywood, Film Review, featured, features

Ghajini (2008)Aamir Khan starrer Ghajini is a loyal remake of the Tamil version with only a few cosmetic changes. It's a crass film that assaults viewer's intelligence. Aamir too hits the pits as an actor. His "intense" acting is mostly maniacal. However, the biggest problem of the film is the script whose writers seem to have primitive notions about society, law, business, goodness and evil and everything else. The film is a cinematic torture that doesn't deserve a separate review since I've already reviewed the original Tamil version.

Half Star to the film, since that's the minimum I've at my disposal.

My Rating: 1/2 out of five

Instead of a review, I'm writing a note on the character Ghajini.

Ghajini, The Villain

More interesting than the film is the character called Ghajini! And the most interesting aspect of him is that he is the villain. Can you think of the last film you saw which was named after its villain, I can't.

Ghajini, the character, has many facets. He is an industrialist, who owns a pharmaceutical business. Such a business in cotemporary parlance is referred to as bio-technology and is considered a knowledge-driven sector. However, Ghajini is a gang lord, a muscular, unscrupulous devil, who you could find too crass for this sort of a business.

Apart from wealth, this man also possesses an army of goons. Unsophisticated musclemen, ready to kill anybody at their boss's command.

Ghajini himself is a killer, who not only shoots people by barging into their homes and hospital wards but also utilizes crass methods of killing. He hits the hero and his girlfriend with an iron club.

Nevertheless, he enjoys a privileged status in the society. He funds a medical college and is called in as the chief guest on their annual day celebrations.


Where would you expect such a man of repute to reside! The place that he inhibits is even more interesting than the character. It's a nameless neighborhood that bears resemblance to a slum. A small lane from the busy street in the city leads to this locality that's well guarded by goons. Every single man on these lanes is a soldier of Ghajini. It's almost an impregnable fortress.

But don't get me wrong here, his house is in a slum but his house itself isn't a hut, it's like a palace shrouded in a slum.

This man, who prefers to clothe in white has his ears pierced and wears gold around his neck. He speaks Hindi with Hariyanvi accent. Interestingly, the actor (Pradeep Singh Rawat) also played Ghajini in the Tamil version, where his Tamil was supplemented with a good dose of Hindi, mostly Bambaiya Hindi. As the story moves northwards, his accent also makes an upward journey.

Another business of Ghajini is human trafficking. He buys innocent girls in bulk,extracts their kidneys, and then sell them to brothels.

Such a diabolical villain of epic proportions are scarce in Hindi cinema. In recent times, heroic virtues as well as villainous evils both have been through a process of rationalization. Mostly, in recent Hindi films there are no heroes, no villains. Ghajini brings the villain back, the real bad villain, who is villain from the very moment he enters the screen. Probably, to elevate the hero to the epic levels!

I'm not sure, if the Hero of Ghajini, who is as gruesome a killer as the villain finds legitimacy through Ghajini, the villain. But yes, the dark force that the filmmaker invests the villain with, makes him one of the most inhuman, evil, crass, unsophisticated, insensitive and badly written characters of Bollywood.

http://dearcinema.com/ghajini-pits/

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Posted: 16 years ago
#39
  • Posted: Thu, Dec 25 2008. 7:01 PM IST

  • Culture

Ghajini review: violence before terrorism

So, who did 2008 belong to then? Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan?

Priya Ramani

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When a seething Aamir Khan rams an iron pipe through a man's stomach in the first few minutes of the film, you get an idea of what's coming (in the original Tamil version, there's apparently a tap attached to the pipe and when hero Surya turns it on blood comes dripping out) in the next three hours.
Aamir Khan plays a revenge-crazed lover in Ghajini
It seems only fitting that 2008's biggest film will likely be a violent one. Yet, it's an oddly comforting violence. Nobody wants to blow up the big city, religion doesn't matter here and nobody's heard of suicide bombers. It's the violence of a time before terrorism. It's a world where villains wear gold chains, kidnap little girls, bribe the police and kill innocent people who get in their way. A world that we had almost forgotten thanks to the new wave of urban terror that has swept our cities in recent years and, especially, in the year gone by.
Plus it's got Tamil punch.
Villains are pitchers who swing iron rods that look more menacing than any you've seen in Bollywood. The hero has a Superfist (and an oversculpted, tattooed body) that can fell multiple scary-looking villains who attack him all at once.
Ghajini is a near faithful copy of the 2005 Tamil film though a Tamil critic I saw it with pointed out that in the original the villain had a double role and the climactic fight sequence was shot in a swimming pool, not a basti. And, she added, Surya was way hotter than Aamir Khan could ever hope to be.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has a skinny plot
Khan plays industrialist Sanjay Singhania who, for reasons best understood in Chennai, wears all his formal short-sleeved shirts with the sleeves rolled up. He meets Kalpana (played by Asin), a struggling model who chatters her way through life, helping everyone who needs her help. Thanks to a funny mix-up, the two become friends and then fall in love.
But this is a revenge story of a grief-stricken man (who also suffers from short-term memory loss, a fact that lead villain Ghajini, played by Pradeep Rawat, finds highly amusing), so you already know this film is not going to end happily ever after. Ghajini is a tense, edge-of-your-seat, pit-of-your-stomach gripping masala film.
Aamir plays a revenge-crazed lover convincingly, Asin is great as everyone's roadside saviour and Rawat is a villain plucked straight out of 1990s Indian cinema.
So, who did 2008 belong to then? Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan? I would say Abhay Deol or Imran Khan actually, but if I had to pick between Ghajini and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi it would have to be the former.
Rab Ne... was an inane movie with a skinny plot that only confirmed that for Shah Rukh Khan, acting equals contorting his facial muscles (even if he looks cute hugging a tiffin); Ghajini is great old-fashioned Tamil pulp.
http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/25120043/Ghajini-review-violence-befor.html
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Posted: 16 years ago
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"Hell hath no fury like a man scorned"

Movie Review: Ghajini - Aamir Khan at his explosive best, two thumbs up


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26 December 2008 @ 03:04 pm IST

Aamir Khan has surpassed himself in terms of acting in his latest movie Ghajini, which is not surprisingly being billed as the Bollywood blockbuster of 2008.


Ghajini - Bollywood's biggest blockbuster of 2008. In Ghajini, Aamir fans will not be disappointed for this is perhaps the first movie where Aamir successfully combines the two images of a hero - the chocolate boy and the macho man - in a film woven around tragic love and vendetta.
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Aamir Khan (R) and Asin in Ghajini. Ghajini is a story about the destruction a doomed love can ignite as Aamir sets out to track down his girlfriend's killers.
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In Ghajini, Aamir fans will not be disappointed, for this is perhaps the first movie where Aamir successfully combines the two images of a hero - the chocolate boy and the macho man - in a film woven around tragic love and vendetta.

In other words, Aamir excels himself in this Bollywood remake of A.R. Murugadoss' Tamil film Ghajini (which itself is an adaptation of Christopher Nolan's Memento).

So what is the story about? Well, Ghajini revolves around the lives of Aamir Khan, a shy business tycoon (Sanjay Singhania) bored of bureaucratic nonsense and running a business empire and Kalpana (played by Asin who was in the original Tamil movie too), who is the girl every man would like to take home to meet his mother. For she not only has a great sense of humor, but also has a heart of gold helping everybody out of the way.

Love is beginning to bloom between the two but fate has other plans and tragedy strikes as Asin is brutally murdered by bloodthirsty villains (portrayed by Pradeep Rawat & Co).

Gripped by extreme shock and sorrow, Aamir transforms from a lovestruck guy to a wounded beast (with a six-pack), thirsty for revenge. But revenge is not easy for not only the bad guys wipe out almost every clue that could lead the murder to them, but also Aamir begins to suffer from a short-term memory loss.

So how does Aamir exact his revenge? A la Michael Scofield style in US hit television series Prison Break, Aamir has to depend on the sparse scrawls on his body, his walls, his unfinished diaries, his Polaroid snapshots, a friendly medical student Sunita (Jiah Khan) and of course, his fading memory.

Aamir's acting is explosive but those who are looking for explosive dialogues will be disappointed. For, after Asin's murder, Aamir hardly has any dialogue and words and phrases are replaced by guttural moans, roars and grunts that expresses his deep trauma.

In fact, in certain scenes, there are long periods of silence matched by Aamir's vacant stare, which however, speaks volumes.

Yes, Aamir Khan fans will indeed not be disappointed. For this is the first time, they get to see his hot bod with six-packs, that would give Salman, Hrithik, Shah Rukh or Akshay a run for their money.

Action scenes are, at worst, bloody best, but it is not surprising for Aamir was reportedly trained by an ex-NSG commando for hand-to-hand combats in the fight sequences where necks are twisted, bones crushed and iron rods connect with heads.

The cast, supported by Oh-So-Sweet Bollywood debutant Asin, Jiah Khan (who for the first time is covered from head to toe after her controversial Bollywood debut Nishabd with Amitabh Bachchan) and Pradeep Rawat as the fang baring menacing bad guy, makes the plot Oh-So-Believable, while musical score by A.R. Rahman (who won a Golden Globe nomination for his score in Dan Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and is a hot favorite to receive Oscar too) are guaranteed to keep the audience entertained and glued to their seats.

So irrespective of whether you are Aamir fans or not, go watch Ghajini if you have ever loved someone and relive the passion. Sit back and feel the sparks of love fly in your heart as Aamir falls in love with Asin and experience the destruction a doomed love can ignite as Aamir sets out to track down his girlfriend's killers.

Enjoy Ghajini, a violent, tragic love story that is slated to become Bollywood's biggest Box Office Hit of 2008.


http://in.ibtimes.com/articles/20081226/movie-review-ghajini-aamir-khan-his-explosive-best-two-thumbs.htm

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