Dec 31, 2008 02:49 PM
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(Updated Dec 31, 2008 02:53 PM)
The ‘Remember December 25’ ad campaigns for Ghazini followed you everywhere. The eight pack looks of Aamir Khan became the cynosure of all eyes and the media war between Aamir and SRK reached a crescendo with their respective films releasing quite close to each other. But all that does not transform into a quality film. Neither does the fact that the film comes from the stable of the perfectionist Khan. Yes, he did give us Lagaan, DCH, RDB and Taare Zameen Par but that doesn’t mean that he can’t err. Ghazini might be minting money but so did films like OSO, Hey Babyy and some other mediocre ones. Money is definitely not the sole criteria to judge a film.
I thought a lot before writing this review because I felt quite opposite to what some of the'well-read' critics have felt about this one. I did not find Ghazini to be a winner. It’s just average fare that banks on the publicity. The perfectionist-reticent Khan probably understood this and was all over the media prior to the release. That made business sense.
Ghazini is technically slick. If I tell you in a nutshell, you will probably like the story too. A revenge action thriller where a man searches for the killer of his lady love. The glitch – he doesn’t remember anything beyond 15 minutes. But the details leave a lot to be desired. The thrill is missing because you know the Ghazini story from the outset and the track does not surprise you in any scene. The short term memory loss funda is not used ever in the film except in the climax when the hero forgets and feels lost amidst the ruckus he had created himself sometime back. It is not Memento by any stretch of imagination where the short term memory loss was used to build the story.
The action in Ghazini is typically South Indian. When I say that, I am not demeaning the technical quality of execution of the scenes. I am talking about the over-the-top fantastical action sequences. Sample this – our hero who is at least 20 kgs less and 6-7 inches shorter in height than the villain, holds him by the scruff of his collar and flings him on the wall like a toy. I took it in my stride because the hero is portrayed as a he-man and he looks his part in front of lesser mortals who get flung away like twigs caught in a storm. But then comes another surprise stunt. The villain pierces a rod in the hero’s abdomen. The hero then pulls it out, beats the hell out of the villain and then goes on to live a happy life thereafter. The director probably took a leaf out of reality after reading that a 23 year old man could survive a similar medical condition in Delhi sometime back. Scenes aside, there are a lot of ‘whys’ that are not answered in the movie.
The music in not consistent. Guzarish and Kaise mujhe have good lyrical value, Behka is wonderfully picturised and is hence acceptable but the Lattoo and Aye Bachu songs are mediocre if not poor.
The length is another big let down. Ghazini stretches beyond 3 hours. The love story that should have been a flashback in the movie is actually a film in itself. The title Ghazini is actually the name of the villain. So you expected the character to be strong and powerful onscreen as well as off-screen. Pradeep Rawat is not a new face. He has played small roles in films and to see him enjoying the iconic status of being the first villain in Hindi film industry whose character’s name is the name of the film is not digestible. True he looks powerful physically but enjoys little power. The shortcoming is in two spheres - the characterization(it should have been done so that the name Ghazini exuded brutality befitting his stature) and the novelty factor(Pradeep Rawat is known more as Ashwathaama from B.R. Chopra’s Mahabharat rather than anything else). Let’s not take anything from the actor. He has tried to portray Ghazini to the best of his abilities. But the fact remains that if you can’t imagine Mr. India being called Mogambo, Sholay being called Gabbar or Karma being referred to as Dr. Dang, you will probably feel that the choice of title was not apt in case of Ghazini.
Asin is competent. She reminded me of Sridevi with a better Hindi accent. I am not too sure if she will rule the roost in hindi films though. Jiah Khan hardly has anything to do in the film. Aamir Khan is what he is – the perfectionist! His involvement in the movie is complete. The misplaced(I am not quite sure if it was necessary to introduce so much of aggression, violence and animalistic trait to his character) anger and focus to kill Ghazini is portrayed brilliantly. Just watch his 8 pack abs and you will see that commitment. SRK’s 6 pack days look like a farce in front of the wild boarish physique that Aamir has built in the film. That is what is called living the character unlike what many of our other heroes are used to doing. A simple change of attire doesn’t mean that you have got the mannerisms and the character right. This is something that Aamir knows well.
Murgadoss is a good director. I think he will make some romantic movies too in future. He doesn’t let the film go all awry despite it being painfully long. He will be a big name down south but to become a face to reckon with in Bollywood, he will have to shed some of the baggage. Treatment of regular action and comedy scenes need to be tackled differently in Hindi films or else he will be another Shankar who has blockbusters to his credit in south Indian films but can’t seem to take his success forward in Hindi films.
Ghazini is a hyped product and nothing more. I have seen equally good/bad south Indian action films and this one is no different. Go watch it if you are an avid Aamir fan. I did so too but emerged out of the theatre with a headache and nothing more. I give it a 2.5 out of 5. Sadly Ghazini is average, something that you generally don’t associate Aamir Khan with!
