“Ghajini”: Aamir Khan and joie de vivre
I’m part of a theatre troupe in my college. I remember, about 18 months ago, it was my first day in the group, and the very first thing I was told was “exaggerate”…… A.R. Murugadoss sure seems a guy who knows the meaning of that word! For “Ghajini” is exaggerated with a capital E…..and this is likely to be the bone of contention among those who love it and those who trash it. It is a throwback to the “good old times”, where Bollywood films were very much the sum of their parts, comedy, action, romance, tragedy; each emotion drawn out with a measuring cylinder, and doled out in the requisite amounts….(I understand many Tamil and Telugu films still rigourously follow this regime)
First, the obvious questions and the banal stuff out of the way…..Ghajini is NOT, repeat NOT, Memento, nor does it aspire to be. Ghajini is your more conventional revenge saga, with the anteriograde amnesia angle only adding the sting in the tale. Aamir Khan plays Sanjay Singhania, a telecom tycoon who falls for a bubbly, vivacious girl-next-door(who just happens to channelize the spirit of Mother Teresa every now and then),Kalpana, played by Asin. After the usual comedy of errors and rollercoaster-like romantic sequences, they are set to be married, when Kalpana rescues a bunch of girls who were being trafficked as part of an organ racket(if you can believe it), gets into trouble with the big bad wolf, gets whacked and Sanjay gets hit on the head…..voila amnesia!
So far so good. The screenplay is cliched, there are head-scratcher moments liberally strewn and the lingering, gratuitious close-ups and flashing pan shots are, I’m sure, cringe-worthy for many. But the bottom-line is: In spite of all this(or as I’m about to elaborate, because of all this 
) Ghajini works……..over the three hours, you cannot take your eyes off the screen. Here’s why:
1. Aamir Khan: There’s a considerable slice of the media which is enamoured by Khan because of what they perceive is the “different” cinema he pursues….he has long been painted as the “thinking actor”. What they don’t realize is that while Khan’s versatility was never in doubt, his films have always strived to excel while staying very much within the general purview of “commercial” cinema. Take a good long look at Dil Chahta Hai, Rangeela, Lagaan, Sarfarosh, Mangal Pandey……of his mega-successful trio of DCH, Lagaan and RDB, RDB is perhaps the furthest off the line. Aamir simply imbues his films with his searing honesty and intensity, never, NEVER pulls his punches and has an effortless skill for getting under the skin of his characters. These qualities are on ample display here in Ghajini…..plus this time……there is an unmistakeable sense of…I suppose the right word is joy; about him.
He excels in the romantic portions, bringing to mind the chocolate boy of yore, as well as the loveable imp of Rangeela, especially in the song Behka Behka, (check out the half-a-dozen Aamirs dancing in step!). And, my God, when he gets all bald and brutal, the angry, adrenaline-pumped, yes with all eight packs in place(and how!)…..Aamir is mesmerizing. Again, there are no half-measures with Aamir. When he screams, he screams till his veins are about to pop, when he howls with pain, he sounds like a staked animal. Just can’t take your eyes off that guy……..
2. Joie de Vivre- If I had to describe the film in one catchphrase, this would be it. Ghajini is a film which steers clear of any pretentions about its artistic status……sorry Phoenix-da, I’m just too much in love with Gunda to call this one Aamir’s Gunda……but yes, the spirit is very much there. When the baddie swings away with his bolted iron rod, he cackles in delight. Khan himself despatches scores of goons with a Rajni-like flourish and I swear, once or twice, I thought I even saw a shadow of a chuckle beneath Khan’s gnashed teeth! Sometimes this leads one to laugh out loud even during the gory portions, but it’s all part of the show, rest assured.
No one embodies the spirit of joie de vivre better than Asin. You will find it incredibly difficult not to like her……. She matches Khan shot for shot when they share screen space, and is effortlessly ebullient throughout. All this and minus the annoying accent inflicted upon us by the likes of Genelia D’Souza. The director gives her plenty of scenes to show off her acting chops, and for the most part, she’s upto scratch.
3. Rahman- Rahman follows up the magnificent score of “Yuvvraaj” with another good soundtrack. “Guzarish” is incredibly easy on the ears, and its opening strains are used pretty frequently. “Behka Behka” is Rahman at his experimental best, with quirky and unusual rhythms. It helps that the cinematography of the songs, especially, is brilliant. “Kaise mujhe” is superbly sung by Benny Dayal who has already made waves with his spirited rendition of “Tu Hi To Meri Dost Hai” from “Yuvvraaj”. “Aye Bacchu” is a snazzy, upbeat number which captures the cheerful spirit of Asin’s character to a T. Ghajini’s score might not be among Rahman’s more memorable ones, but it is very much in sync with the film.
There you have it, then. Aamir, joie de vivre, and Rahman is the recipe for success as far as Ghajini is concerned. A word about the director. I watched an interview recently in which Aamir described the “pocket rocket” A.R. Murugadoss. Aamir described how diminutive in stature Murugadoss was, before going on to describe the unbelievable energy levels of the man. That frisky, restless energy which pervades the film, I believe has its sources here.
You can feel it in the way he approaches even the most trivial of scenes. The simple act of drinking water from a plastic bottle has never been rendered with such outrageous urgency, for one! The hero as well as the villain crunch and gnash their teeth with gusto, the bad guy is complete with gold chain and faux-comical accent……it’s all there! For me, this is the masala film of the year…..a film which doesn’t fight its lack of erudition, but embraces it.
In an year in which we’ve watched some brilliant and intelligent films like A Wednesday, Mumbai Meri Jaan, Dasvidaniya, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye et al, let’s celebrate the new year with the ultimate no-brainer of them all….Ghajini!
Tags: aamir khan, Ghajini, Movies, Review
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
I guess this is the right way to slot Ghajini.Is it path breaking or unconventional?naah.But then there was no such claim on part of anybody associated with the movie.The movie had “winner” written all over it- I mean at the b.o.And thats what it is- a masala movie being lapped up by the masses & being debated by the more intelligent audience.
Yes 2008 has been a decent year overall, some good out of the box movies, some new names, 2 of 3 big Khan’s striking it big in their own way towards the yearend.So lets usher in 2009- I’m sure it looks promising.
it’s a pathetic film, with nothing to offer. worse than a regular bollywood commercial flick. i couldn’t believe the back story track kept on going on n on till the last stupid scene. nothing to offer. forget new. hollow film making at it’s best – i really hope it flops and sends a message home, though i suspect that’d happen – the theatres were jammed.
@Navneet: Would “Race” or “Singh is Kinng” be some of the “regular bollywood commercial flicks” you’re referring to? Because I enjoyed Ghajini much much more than either of the two…..
On an unrelated note, yes, the theatres were packed…..I’d actually gone yesterday afternoon to the theatre, only to find out that ALL the shows for the day were sold out……this is unprecedented for a small town like Ranchi(where I live, when not at college)
aditya – i really don’t know how to answer that. i don’t watch too many bollywood films, didn’t see race, but saw singh is king, and that was average bollywood fare too. but i didn’t have much expectations from it in the first place.
with ghajini, being an aamir khan film, and the fact that it borrows threads (and premise) from a groundbreaking film from memento, i was really disappointed at seeing what it really is. a regular bollywood film with regular dance and love shuv and all, with just 2 or 3 crappy fighting scenes thrown in with aamir khan going grrrrrrrrr to call it a “revenge drama”. for fk’s sake where was the revenge “drama”? it was typical bollywood fare, only this time there were much more expectations from it. i’ve posted random thoughts (mostly one liners) on other ghajini related threads, as i’m more of a lurker here once in a while and don’t find time to actually sit down and write long posts. and ghajini definitely doesn’t bring out that passion in me. i came back and saw memento (since i’d watched it on release long back and didn’t remember most), and ten mins into the film, and i’d forgotten 99% of ghajini. it’s that diluted and commonplace. i’ll try post more later, but u get my drift.
Guys, stop comparing one stupid film with another. GHAJINI IS AN EMBARRASSMENT. That does not mean Race or Singh is King were great stuff. They were equally bad.Just because it is Aamir Khan involved people are saying that this is a tribute to B- movies, commercial potboilers etc. Then so was Tashan. Why are we using different yardsticks?
@sougata: Lighten up, man!
Personally, I don’t know who ought to be embarrased here…..is it the director? But he made this film already down south….and it was a monster hit to boot. Can it be Aamir? He’s NEVER embarrased! And what with all the TV giggly gal journos going droolistan over his abs….. The distributors would be the last ones to be embarrased……..hmmm..i’ve got a sneaky feeling it could be you who’s embarrased, my friend….(please don’t take offence at this….)
But on a more serious note….for me, Ghajini is NOT different from “commercial potboilers etc.” ….it just gives the pot a hell of a boil…
Nobody is saying Ghajini is a tribute to anything…it’s just fun.Period
well aditya, it was a good read… glad you did not compare it with Memento and took Ghajini as a masala entertainer. Ghajini was intended to be a masala entertainer and not a classic or path breaking movie. Its nice to know that you understood the essence of the movie and have appreciated the effort of the people involved. Well at the end of the day, you cant satisfy everyone and the makers of Ghajini knew who their target audience was. If the other section(intelligent viewers) liked the movie then its a bonus else it doesn’t matter much as they are happy that their target audience is satisfied.
Btw, I am still wondering what would be a good definition of an intelligent viewer…( Art and beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder :D)
Genelia D’Souza doesn’t have an accent. That is how she speaks. Many people speak like that, in fact people speak Hindi in different ways all over the country. A Bengali speaks Hindi in a certain way, a Keralite speaks it in another way, an Anglo-Indian from Bombay in another way. Tara Sharma too has a peculiar way of speaking, a peculiar voice. That doesn’t take away from her acting capabilities. Genelia gave a fantastic performance in Jaane Tu. No need for unfair comparisons.
sougata@5- embarassment to whom?seriously everybody concerned with the movie knew what they had in mind and they aren’t complaining.Murugadoss is getting noticed for having successfully converted his tamil movie into a money maker in hindi.The producers Allu Arvind & co are laughing their way to the bank.The exhibitors & distributors are happy.The TG- i.e aam junta are happy they got to see a routine dishum dishum flick from a superstar.Aamir is happy with all the attention he’s getting.So who’s embarassed here?
Hype hype hype … in the modern days of movie promotion, there are machines in place to create hype.
Riding on Aamir’s unconventionalism, the-method-actor, the thinking-man’s-actor image, the machine has been able to create a hype, so in some movie halls I hear first 100 shows are all sold out even before the movie releases.
And the movie is yet another over-the-top exaggerated crappy affair – but do producers care? They are happily walking to the bank with bags of money, as you and I sit here cribbing!
Well written but with one very significant flaw. Please don’t say Ghajini is not Memento. You seem to be implying it is somehow a new beast.
A guy with a murdered wife, lost memory and tattoos all over his body as memos seeking revenge is not an original idea.
It’s just that Murugadoss and even Aamir lacked the ability to understand what that movie was about.
I so hoped that they would be able to create a satisfying ending, something that the Tamil version didn’t have. But looks like after dealing with the same theme twice the director still wasn’t able to understand the pain of the character. Something that Nolan summed up in “I can’t remember to forget you.”
“A guy with a murdered wife, lost memory and tattoos all over his body as memos seeking revenge is not an original idea.
It’s just that Murugadoss and even Aamir lacked the ability to understand what that movie was about.”
You hit it Angel Eye. Precisely my thoughts about the movie and the connected dissatisfaction. http://passionforcinema.com/ive-a-feeling-i-wont-like-ghajini/ ( wrote this long back!)
@Angel Eye and Tanul
With all due respect, guys…..beacuse Aamir and Murugadoss did not TRY to understand Memento and make their fil accordingly….doesn’t imply that they “lack the ability” to do so…..does this make the film shallower ……of course it does! But nobody who has seen both the films can say that they are anything alike….look at the cental characters for God sake…..
@Aditya: I’m sure you must have read Aamir’s blog on the Memento. He explicity says the mocvie was too complictaed for him. and he didn’t enjoy it. I still hold great regards for both Aamir the filmmaker and the actor, and I thought he would appreciate not only the backward screenplay( which he appreciates, but, only in ‘theory’)but the whole idea behind Memento. So, i didn’t suspect it, but that is a huge give away to the fact that Aamir ‘leacked the ability’ to do so( can say with aplomb for only Memnto’s case!). Yes, the movies are as different as chalk and cheese. And that didn’t sit pretty with me. it did with you is a different thing all together. So, no issues
@Aditya
The point is that had they (Murugadoss and Aamir) understood Memento they’d have been able to give the lead character some depth.
In fact I can’t even see what Aamir brought into this movie.
The movie is exactly the same as the Tamil Ghajini except for the ending which is still pretty stupid….the director again forgot that he has given the hero this disease and so the hero goes on fighting for a looong time without forgetting anything.
What did Aamir do?
And please don’t tell me he did a better job than Surya.
Would it have been so very difficult to bring in the fact that the hero will not remember that he has exacted revenge?
Doesn’t Aamir have any respect for the Indian audience? So then why should people bash Abbas Mustaan for making a Race?
I like this move,because this type of move is change our missbehaviour.
@Aditya Oberoi:
1. u not equal to a.
2. Memento not equal to ghajini.
3. Don’t irritate.
@Ayitda Oberoi: Why can’t that great man(?) be you sir-ji? I ask again, Aapke charan kahan hai? ( Can’t wait for Fed-Ex).
@Ayitda: My fingers are trembling. I’m just too scared, have some mercy towards the lil boy!
@Aditya Mani Jha: Sorry for the un-related shit on your post. I didn’t start it.
@Ayitda Oberoi: I usually don’t reply to ping heads like you. But, sometimes smartypants like you deserve this. I’m done with you, though will contact you if I’m unusually bugged with life.
@Tanul and Aditya Oberoi : Relax…you guys are nothing compared to what happened on Anurag Kashyap’s post on DevD..even as I write this….that one is nearing about 300 comments….last 100-odd being mostly personal rants and temper-tantrums….. even a let’s-take-over-PFC conspiracy theory!
@AMJ: I generally don’t get into verbal duels, at least not on inane matters as these. And with respect to Anurag’s post, let bygones be bygones!
@Aditya Oberoi
“only the premise of retrograde amnesia is lifted off…nothin more,,,nothing less”
Are you kidding?
Did you not notice the tattoos on his body?
And did you also fail to notice that in the movie he was actually trying to avenge his girlfriend’s death?
No wonder you loved the movie you were probably asleep throughout.
@Aditya
Fair enough.
But it is this very playing safe thing that bugs me.
Like I said in post number 15, showing how the character felt with the disease would have actually made this movie far more interesting. But they dumbed down the source material to such an extent that it seems like Murugadoss and even Aamir have no respect for the viewer’s intelligence.
Just because the Tamil Ghajini was such a massive success they made ABSOLUTELY no change until the climax. So what did Aamir Khan bring into this movie? Surya did a fantastic job in the older version, in fact at times Aamir seemed to be falling behind.
See this if you don’t believe me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM6CJSzKAZg
I’ll hv this to say – the first time I saw Ghajini I ws watchn it with a purpose..sub-consciously tryin to analyse it & as I hv expressed myself on PFC I didnt think it ws ‘good’ or ‘great’ cinema(i.e. if ppl define ‘greatness’ in terms of achievement in filmmaking or breakin new grounds)..in fact I feel it ws nt even ‘best masala action film ever’ but now I want to go back & watch it again, without any purpose coz I feel I missed out on the purpose of the film – entertainment..will write abt it here, after watchn it 2nd time..God Bless
I posted this elsewhere too but would like to state here that Gajini is a bad career move by Aamir. He should be taking Hindi commercial cinema to the next level not back to the 80s. Hope this does not become a trend – superheroes in tamil and telugu movies are more than enough, we cannot have Hindi cinema heroes join them.
hey mr aditya oberoi , if ghajini is not a rip off of memento then what is ?? they two are very different thats another thing but ghajni stole its basic premise from memento and didnt stop at that it also had the guy taking pictures , taking notes , tattooes on his body all it didnt steal was its backward structure , the only thing that made it famous in teh frist place . otherwise it was an ordinary movie . so tha leaves what ghajini is , but a very ordinary movie(comparisons are inevitable) if a movie like sarkar owes its roots to godfather then ghajini definitely owes it to memento and now shut up oberoi.have u really seen memento and ghajini or both or did u lose your memory in between the two. you short term memory patient.
@sags: First, I would tell you what I told Sougata in #6, which is….Lighten up, mate!
Perhaps some of your discontent stems from the fact that you were subconsciously expecting “Memento” ……but got a whole other kind of film…”Ghajini”….. as for Ghajini being “ordinary” , I already said it’s very much in the conventional uber-commercial mode….. nobody’s disputing that
Disclaimer: I am an intelligent person. With the power being bestowed on me i have right to take offence when anyone even remotly claim to enjoy what i consider as “Below diginity”.
I fully reserves the right on what constitues basis of such “Consideration” . It’s also given and understood that if that “Reference” in question is anything out of all the languages spoken in “India”
then my right to loose objectivity is justified and will be deemed as final.
Various parties should please note that any obvious display of joy, Exuberance derived out of such Questionable Sources (which themselves have Questionable sources) is a clear violation of my Rights of being Intellectual and With the wrath bestowed on me by nobody in particular I will act with all savagery and unaccounutable and uncontrollable burst of Taunts, jibes and dismissive point of view.
The case in point is one demeaning work which is a permanent mark of joy on lesser known creatures who have learned to derive pleasure from such lesser work of Cinema.
As per the laws this case doesn;t merit or deserve and discussion and creatures who have been accused of enjoying this very questionable Movie must admit defeat and burn in the agony of guilt till the rest of their life beacuse
1. The first argument petty much corner these stinking !@$W#@#. as prima facia (which nobody is denying) the movie is inspired,copied, remade from an english classic Memento.
Its only after liking this movie i Qualified for being called an intellectual. the movie has significance beyond a silly Remake it threatens my very existence anybody who appreciates the shit called “Ghajinhiiiiiii” creates self doubt and bring about an amenisa of very different kind in me.
To control the bouts of self doubt i have to see the classic Mememto again and i have to immidiatly like it again to suppress the symptoms which can otherwise have devastating impact on my life and existence.
but since this exercise is not even remotly entertaining i demand and instant conclusion.
HELLO MR ADITYA NO. 2 , i wanst talking to you there , an di have no problems iwth ghajini , iwanst even expecting memento .i was talking to someone called aditya oberoi here who said ghajini does not borrow anything but short term ememory loss from memento .
mr aditya no. 2 , i also just realised you are the one who’s written this post . well what you said is absolutely ture and i enjoyed ghajini like any other average hindi film .so you get my point. but i have a problem with these fanatics who will quote their favourite stars even at teh cost of sounding stupid . what aditya oberoi sai dover there is what aamir khan says in defence of ghajini.
Gee Mr.Nolan no2. the last time i checked it was a forum its the last place you can expect privacy got the point( “i wasn’t talking with you” huh!) .
“Defence of Ghajini” thats loud thinking maybe reassurring though 2 post in three minutes show definete sign of “Short term Stability loss”
I wasn’t not too exited about RNBDJ so i skipped it I liked Ghajini i Watched it I truley enjoyed it without any insecurities or otherwise I have curiously discovered that there are others who have enjoyed it someone very rightly in and all humanity posted a very humble point of view.
Someone got very worked up Gee
@sags, aditya oberoi: Rock on, guys! I like it….
This article is a good take on Ghajini. (Instead of sticking to the topic and expressing your views in a decent manner, why are people getting so personal and fighting in a childish manner? Pl don’t do that.)
I would like to repeat some of my comments made elsewhere on this forum. Ghajini never claimed to be an intelligent film or a film with a social message etc. It was always going to be a masala film that would aim to entertain the audience. And that’s what it does. I watched the film in a packed single screen theatre in Mumbai and found that people were totally engrossed in the proceedings. It held their attention and enthralled them for three hours and that is no mean achievement.
It’s the unrealistic expectation from the film that is making some people feel very let down. Aamir has always tried to break the mould and stay away from any image. By expecting only a particular kind of film from him, we are in fact putting him in the image cage.
Instead of questioning the logic of the film, Aamir tried to make the project at hand convincing, appealing and entertaining. Once he accepted the challenge of doing a masala potboiler in a convincing way, he gave it his all. Right from slogging for a strong , muscular body and shaving his head for the menacing look to standing up to the media power that Shahrukh holds and beating him at his own game of marketing hype; Aamir did everything in a commendable fashion.
Ghajini reveals Aamir’s versatility once again in a very convincing manner. He has made this logic defying film quite watchable. Such a versatile performance was not seen in the mainstream cinema for a long time. Agreed, it brings back some of the things that we had discarded as ‘typical silly bollywood stuff’. But let’s allow that indulgence once in a while, to this wonderful actor. And also let’s not fret over why so many people are enjoying this film.
Manjushaa
Nice post and one in right perspective. We(those who have enjoyed the movie) have no arguments with Those who have disliked the movie.
Real issues here is the mindset of those who disliked it or the generalization they seems to be doing it’s like “Oh ! so you eat Paani puri hmmm it show your class”.
Let me put up those points here the kind of pseudo-intelligence or hypocracy on display here.
1. I went to see Ghajini because it was a copy/ripoff/remake/stolen plot whatever of Memento. One of the poster needed to go home and watch the “Original” Memento in order to quickly get Ghajini out of his system. I wouldn’t be surprised if he reveals that he even carried a DVD/VCD of Memento with him like bible to stay save him from ill effect.
My take: Gentlemen if at all you are true to your claims then i am afraid you are making yourself a laughing stock to the world already because nothing about ghajini is being promoted as its going to strech your imagination a wee bit. Its being rightly propogated as a total massala entertainer further everyone associated with the movie have clearly stated that its a remake of tamil version which is what it turned out to be.
that excuse falls flat on its head with an extra loud thud. However as an avid Hindi movie goer if you susbend your belief in obvious you still come out as someone who went with some preconcieved notion or other when you do that your chances of enjoying anything forget about a movie are very bleak and even if you have enjoyed it then chances of admitting is equal to nil as the reference point in question is a classic like Memento.
so that take care of your credibility.
Is making a Massala movie sure reciepe of box-office winner?
I somehow get an impression that making an entertainer which breaks no new ground is a work of art which only deserves a sneer!
grabbing eye balls of your audiance for complete 3 hours and entertaining him is no mean achivement something being summarially dismissed or overlooked. Maximum movie which fails in any year are the Massala kind so its a high risk category because huge money is at stakes.
what was the commercial fate of memento? It will take a real nutcase to put 40crore on such plot and make a movie and hope to recover his money forget about profit.
Ghajini has a very breazy and cute love angle now that doesn;t deserve any credit there is an emotional core some well picturised songs, action pacy screenplay which keeps you occupied but I am sure they do not require hard work they just happened.
I as an audiance demand my money well spend and honesty from film-maker as to what are you offering me and I think everyone associated to Ghajini made it loud and clear to the entire world as to what they have set out to do and about there aspiration.
I went with the same expectation and came out quite rewarded because it gave me more then I expected. The other guy went with a dash of superoirity and loads of ignorance outcome doesn’t surprise anyone here.
The movie doesnt live upto the hype. The things that didn’t work for me.
1. If Amir had so many managers why couldnt he appoint 1 of them to find out the Ghajini characters instead of running around like crazy on the streets.
2. He could have asked one of his confidante’s to put all his story on his Iphone and show it to him every 15 mins to remind him of everything.
3. When the heroine was in the closet hiding from the bad guys, she could have SMS’ed Amir about the situation, so Amir wouldnt knock and alert the goons when he came to her house after seeing her call.
4. Which CEO searches for locations for putting up his hoardings himself ?
I preferred Rab Ne more than Ghajini. Atleast it had some character I could root for with some heartfelt emotions than senseless violence.
chandan: i didn’t have time to read your whole post, but just to clear the air, i didn’t rush home and watch memento to ‘get ghajini out of my system”. i’ve been on a film buying and watching spree the last 3 weeks – i got my hands on the memento dvd too lately, and i had watched the film only once many years back when it was released, hence didn’t remember the intricacies of the plot. when i went into see ghajini i expected no memento (that would have never worked with mass audiences – it’s too abstract a screenplay and concept), but i did expect “some elements” of the original kept as a tribute to the original since murgadoss did rip the other stupider physical elements of memento (the obvious tattoos, polaroids, short term memory loss, etc) – but conveniently forgot to even touch on the original premise or the message (watch the last scene of memento again), or anything. i felt a bit cheated.
i just came back and saw memento the same night since i didn’t remember the intricacies and wanted to watch it – trust me i didn’t find anything in ghajini that needed to be flushed out of my system – there was hardly anything it had to offer to start with. nothing stays with u once u walk out of the theater. nothing.
n i think ghajini is a sad film even if we look at it as regular bollywood flick. the heroines were both bad, the villain completely forgettable, aamir khan’s character totally undeveloped and irrational – it was a very superficial film. i think chandni chowk to china will be much more fun. just because the film has aamir khan in it, doesn’t make it a good masala film. if u had to compare apple to apple i think singh is king offered better slapstick, jane tu, or even bachna ae haseeno had more fun in them from a pure mindless entertainment angle. stop defending a bad film just because it’s got “the thinking man’s actor in it.”. we all like aamir khan, but this film is pure bullshit, with nothing to offer. even mindless entertainment needs to offer something. this is a totally forgettable film. the action sequences – few are stupid and repetitive. grrrrr, throw people through air, common, what was the big deal about the action?
n deepak: if i started asking questions like that, trust me we’d have pages of holes in the plot. but then with regular bollywood fare (read mindless but at least paisa vasool entertainment), given their shallowness, u can’t ask too many questions. u’r not supposed to.
i found it extremely funny that singhania finds out ghajini’s phone no. right in the beginning of the film, but we still had to endure 3 hours of him getting to him finally. that was such a stupid idea.
loads more, but i’v asked this elsewhere on this site, why was he so angry and so crazy for vengeance when he didn’t remember shit about his past, beyond 15 mins of his life. a man can’t wake up, see some tattooes and go grrrrr and all mad in his bathroom – where do all those emotions come from if he doesn’t even remember the women much actually – a glaring mistake murgadoss made – singhania loses his memory before the accident too. in memento lenny remembers everything in his life uptil the accident, hence doesn’t need diaries to be reminded that he’s fking pissed off and is living only for revenge. the basis for murgadoss’ revenge drama is baseless. i don’t believe this was marketed as a revenge drama when 90 percent of the film was the stupid regular below average bollywood love shove songs back story. they should have cut out some songs and focussed on his present and the vengeance part.
@navn…
I guess they tried to copy Memento, but couldnt put in so much effort with the logic, so veered on to making a south indian masala flick
Some more discrepencies –
– Amir gives the Thele wala his credit card(to show he doesnt use real money), but duly gives the change to the rickshaw wallas all the time
– Why does Asin remind me of Monisha of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, even her mannerisms and penchant for cheap things ?
My God…..the knives are out… shall I write another one focussing solely on the bloopers?
Lets do it Adi.
A patient with anterograde amnesia syndrome actually RETAINS all his (old) memory before the incident. It’s only *after* the incident that the patient is unable to store any (new) memories for more than several minutes. This scientific fact is depicted wrongly in Ghajini (in spite of its correct description in Memento!)