Dec 26, 2008 05:54 PM
5191 Views
(Updated Dec 26, 2008 05:58 PM)
Ghajini has been in the news since 13 months, when its first stills came out. It created the most hype when Aamir shaved off his head in the beginning of the year. Day by day, the hype, curiosity and the excitement for the film went on increasing. And therefore, lots and lots of expectations were riding on the film. But Aamir can never disappoint! Ghajini, like most Aamir flicks, rocks! The film provides a wonderful thrilling experience from start to finish. It’s a film no movie buff can afford to miss!
The story of the movie: Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan) is a patient with anterograde amnesia (short term memory loss) who cannot remember anything for more than 15 minutes. He’s on a mission, i.e. to find a man called Ghajini and kill him. Ghajini had killed Sanjay’s love Kalpana (Asin) and therefore Sanjay wanted revenge. Sunita (Jiah Khan), a medical student, inadvertently gets involved in Sanjay’s endeavour.
Ghajini is basically a revenge saga and has a story which is beaten to death thousand times in Bollywood-villain kills heroine and the distraught hero then decides to avenge the murder of his love by killing the villain. However, two things make Ghajini completely different from other revenge flicks. First, the treatment. A R Murugadoss’s direction is unique and interesting. The plot moves differently and wonderfully and that’s the biggest pro of the film. Besides, the film is almost 185 minutes long but not even once will the viewer feel bored. In fact, there’s so much happening in the film that one wonders how the time flew so fast!
And second, films till now have show protagonists suffering from retrograde amnesia, i.e. the character loses memory and cannot remember any of his past experience. Here in Ghajini, the protagonist suffers from anterograde amnesia, i.e. amnesia from the point of injury/accident forward. Sanjay Singhania can remember things for not more than 15 minutes. He has tattooed words ‘Revenge’, ‘Who is Ghajini’ and contact numbers of his acquaintances on his body and carries notes, camera and photographs wherever he goes. The director succeeded in showing the amnesia well. I’ve read about anterograde amnesia a lot in psychology till date. Watching it in a film was a great experience!
The film has some brilliant scenes which may find a place in the viewer’s ‘long term memory’! Aamir’s entry scene was fabulous worthy of a thunderous applause! The murder of Asin was well executed. The climax, too, was thunderous and the film ends on a good note.
Aamir Khan as usual springs up a pleasant surprise! In each film, he comes up with something unique and everytime he does a smashing job! The effort that Aamir had to make to get that perfect physique is worth appreciating. And performance-wise, he was just amazing! He doesn’t have many dialogues to speak in the film and he conveys the most with his eyes. Aamir’s performance in Ghajini will be remembered for a long time as one of the finest performances ever by an actor! Bollywood has got a new angry man!
Asin leaves a mark, with her confident and wonderful performance. She does total justice to the chirpy and bubbly character of Kalpana and comes up with a fine performance. Watch her do an amazing job just before the song ‘Kaise Mujhe’. She surely has a long way to go in Bollywood!
Jiah Khan is in a supporting role but does a fabulous job. She was brilliant in the scene just before the intermission in the mall. It’s unfortunate that she is not promoted. Her song ‘Latoo’ deserves to be publicized.
Pradeep Rawat, the villain of the film, does total justice. This actor, who also played the role of Deva in Lagaan, shines in the negative role. Khalid Siddiqui (Aamir’s manager) looks dashing and does a great job. Others were good.
A R Rahman’s music was beautiful. The songs which truly rock are ‘Guzarish’ and ‘Kaise Mujhe’. All songs are well picturised. Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics was beautiful, esp in the song ‘Kaise Mujhe’.
Ravi K Chandran’s cinematography was mindblowing. The scenes shot in the little alleyways are brilliantly shot. Editing was perfect. Action was amazing! It was a little over the top, but still a treat to watch. Mention should also be made of Aamir’s trainer, Satya, who helped him in developing his physique. Without it, Aamir would have failed completely!
A R Murugadoss’s story, screenplay and direction was almost flawless! Story was ordinary; it’s the engrossing screenplay which works big time! Direction too was amazing. Inspite being a little more than 3 hours, the film doesn’t bore even for a moment. Hats off to Murugadoss, the supremely talented filmmaker!
Some of the best scenes of the film:
Aamir and Asin’s entry!
Aamir and Asin’s first meet
Aamir at Chinchpokli
The 31st Dec party
Jiah Khan at Aamir’s house
The intermission point
All songs
The train sequence
The murder
The last 15 minutes of the film
On the whole, Ghajini is a powerful film that provides ample dose of entertainment and thrill. It is undoubtedly one of the finest films to come this year! It’s a film you can’t afford to miss! Go for it and have a great time!
My rating- ½
