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Ghajini (2008)
Ghajini - a rare heartwarming Romance laced with violence
It has the Memento inspired Short Term Memory Loss aspect, bone crunching violence and of course the most talked about 8 packs of Aamir. It's full of loopholes and illogical sequences. But what makes Ghajini very endearing, is the tragic yet sweet romantic story, which forms the crux of this story. Moreover it is seldom preachy.
We have got so used to highly clichéd romances with the eternal Rajs, Prems, wacky Kings and stylish rogues mindlessly wooing chiffon clad (or skimpily clad) women, who seem to have little else to do in life, except falling in love or performing religious rituals. Despite all of these highly successful stars and movies, nobody can look as romantic as Aamir Khan, when he enacts the role of a love-struck guy. He oozes genuine earnestness minus mannerisms and looks completely at ease. He simply is every woman's "dream lover". Hence Ghajini marks the return of the Original Chocolate Hero of Hindi movies Aamir Khan to a romantic role after a long time, which is a welcome change.
Aamir Khan is simply fantastic as the suave and cool business tycoon who becomes a terminator like, avenging angel as he goes after his girl's killer. What makes him different from the "terminator" is the emotional part. He undergoes torture as he recalls the violent death of his sweet-heart., every time. When he cries helplessly, as the heroine dies in front of his very eyes and in the last fight as he remembers his lover dying, he melts the heart of the audiences. His body language simply makes up for the lack of words. Finally - he looks a million bucks and seems to have enjoyed himself thoroughly which is so obvious in this portrayal (the behka song is a lovely example). A perfect performance!
Coming to the 'Jaadu ki Chadi' Asin - she belongs to that very rare breed of actresses who is good at everything - be it histrionics, dancing or just looking good. Hence she is the Super Combo who gives us the breeziest moments in this movie. She is a natural in front of the camera and has a fantastic screen presence. She holds her own against the experienced Aamir. In the first half, every time Asin appears on the screen, everyone is left grinning widely. In the second half when she is inadvertently involved in rescuing a group girls, she is so full of guts and heart. An unforgettable performance!
The chemistry (least physical and more emotional) between the lead pair is so good that you are left wanting for more of them. It has been a while since I have seen a pair which fits each other to the T in all aspects. To put it simply-they look great together and act like a dream.
There must be a special mention of the amazing cinematography. The art of the master craftsman Ravi K. Chandran shows is every shot which is picture perfect with every angle so beautiful. A.R.Rehman's soulful melodies made this dreamy journey more memorable- especially Guzarish, Kaise Mujhe & Behka. Top class stuff.
Finally a big thumps up for Murugadoss for penning a beautiful love story, though it does have an overdose of violence. As a woman, I admire the fact that he has portrayed the heroine as a middle class, career oriented do-gooder who actually has a platonic, friendly relationship with the Hero till he proposes to her (much to her surprise). He has also changed the climax which is slick, less complicated and more complete when compared to the Tamil. Thankfully Jiah Khan's character is very restrained when compared to the Tamil version.
Ghajini is not a classic movie, nor does it tries to be one. But it is worth the 3 hours that I spent watching it. Forget the detractors. It is one emotional roller coaster ride which brings out all the fun of complete entertainment.
Ghajini (2005)
Watch Ghazini for the lead pair
An absorbing movie,about a novel concept with the high dose of violence songs and glamour- is Ghajini in a nutshell. What makes it stand out is the performance of the lead pair- Surya and Asin. Another feather is the excellent camera. Inspired from the Hollywood thriller Memento, the director has done ample changes to fit it into the Indian scenario. A patient (Surya) suffering from Short term memory loss becomes the subject of interest of a glamorous (?) medical student Chitra(Nayantara), who is warned from going any further. When does any girl in a movie listen to sane advice? So Chitra tries to know more about the patient, while the patient goes on a killing spree. The story of the man is shown in flashback through the eyes of an Inspector (Riyaz Khan) who is probing the murder case and gets killed before uncovering it fully. Then it is left to Chitra to bring out the whole truth behind the Hero's present condition and help him take revenge.
Surya is Sanjay Ramaswamy, a business tycoon who falls in love with the vivacious and aspiring small time model Kalpana (Asin). Kalpana is basically a simple girl with a loving and kind heart, who lies about Sanjay being in love with her . Once Kalpana saves some girls from the clutches of a group of kidnappers .She gets killed by child traffickers while Sanjay, who is a witness to the murder, is grievously injured, leading to his short term memory loss. The director Murugadoss and Surya have put in a lot of efforts trying to show the plight of the person who cant remember anything for more than 15 minutes. The way he tattoos his body with important names and numbers, takes pictures of the people he would want to remember etc is done innovatively.
The villain Rawat is the typical baddie and his double role really seems unnecessary.
The positives:
Surya is the heart and soul of the movie. He brings out the difference between the two characters fantastically. From being a suave and stylish billionaire to a mentally and physically tortured patient, Surya is simply brilliant. Be it the gentleness of love, amusement, frustration or anger... he coveys it so beautifully through his eyes. He also plays a perfect foil for the bubbly Asin.
Asin is the surprise package of the movie. She is smart yet caring, loving yet mischievous and never once does she go overboard. The camera has really caught her at the right angles. Kudos to the director and the actor for making the character of Kalpana lovable and extremely elegant.
The pair of Surya and Asin are perfect in every way. They look good and vibe well with each other.In fact, the audience is left with wanting more of this lovely couple. Luckily there is no silly comedy track which deviates from the main story line.
The cameraman needs special mention for the classy work.
The negatives:
Nayantara- The character of Chitra is poorly etched. Though a lot of effort has been put in, to look glamorous, she ends up looking ugly and out of place.She sticks out like a sore thumb. Items numbers, running, glamorous outfits... are not the forte of Nayantara.
Pratap Singh Rawat (villain)- is the usual archetype- nothing much of a variation.
There are a number of loopholes as well- which could have been easily avoided. Like Kalapana not using the cell phone when caught in the house with the killers, despite having it with her all the time.
The violence is senseless and the action scenes are too prolonged, giving a headache. Killing seems to be a pass time for both the Villain and the Hero. Whoever could get away so easily killing so many people?
The film could have been shorter by at least 30 minutes- which would have made it sleek and kept the interest going till the end.
The Music is not upto the mark. Except for the numbers Sutrum Vizhi sudare and Oru maalai ilaveyil nerum... none of the other songs are worth listening too. Most of the song sequences are too clichéd and disturb the flow of the movie. The movie could have been better with less songs or no songs at all. The back ground music is jarring. Harris Jayaraj is a bad backgound music composer. The Choreography is also a let down. With such a lovely pair, better choreographed songs would have a big plus.
Overall this movie is worth a watch because of the refreshing lead pair and the interesting presentation of a new idea.Director Murugadoss has lived upto the Expectation and hype created by Ghajini... but it does not belong to class of 'Ramana'. Maybe next time he will concentrate more on the main story rather than the 'so called' commercial aspects.