Review: Ghajini

Ghajini

Director: A.R Murugadoss

Writer: A.R Murugadoss

Genre: Thriller

Cast: Aamir Khan (Sanjay Singhania)

Asin Thottukomal (Kalpana)

Jiah Khan (Sunita)

Pradeep Rawat (Ghajini)

Riyaz Khan (Fawwaz)

I finally saw the much awaited Ghajini. Ghajini starts off with the credits rolling against a pleasing background of the brain, its nerves and the blood cells floating around. In the very first scene, you have to bear that horrible face of Jiah Khan (who plays Sunita, a final year, medical student). You are introduced to Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan), a patient of short-term memory loss, who forgets everything after fifteen minutes.

This is where it all begins. Ghajini is a serious thriller, according to the genre, but don’t be mistaken. Its a movie with everything you want in an entertainer – action, drama, romance, comedy, and great acting. One of the best scenes I liked in the movie was when Sanjay wakes up in his own residence, unable to recognize where he is. He has chits lying all around his house, such as turn on the lights, place for keeping wallet, house keys, camera, etc. When he enters the bathroom, he finds a chit where he has to take off his shirt. Then he sees hit tattooed body, bearing the words Kalpana Was Killed, somebody’s phone number, etc. Its his acting which makes you realise his agony. Aamir Khan changes his facial appearance, his body language instantly, which forces you to share the pain. Marvellous acting.

Ghajini is all about finding and killing this guy by the same name, as he was the one responsible for Kalpana’s death. Sanjay was hit by a rod in the head, which leads to memory loss, and so he tattooes his entire body to remind himself of the tragedy of his girlfriends death. His camera beeps and tells him to click photos of important people and events.

All this looks great, and appears wonderful. But the show stealer is not Aamir Khan. It is Asin, who plays the superbly written character of Kalpana, effortlessly. Her debut is great, and she is sure to give all the actresses a run for their money. Her acting is so pure, that when she dies, you are immediately able to connect her loss to Sanjay’s. Her character is bubbly and fills you with enthusiasm while watching her. When both of these two actors are on the screen, it is impossible to take your eyes off them. Every scene they pull of effortlessly.

The movie is actually a remake of a South Indian film by the same name, and same director. The script here is extremely flawed. There are logical loopholes everywhere. Is it possible that nobody has seen Sanjay Singhania, a rich guy who is the manager of AirVoice mobile company, which is India’s largest? Surely that’s not the case with Sunil Mittal or Anil Ambani, whom we quizzers recognize in a flash? There’s not even a single photo of him, not in even in a newspaper article published by a newspaper. However, I did envy Sanjay. After all, he owned a Mac…

The acting in the film, as I mentioned, is great. However, Jiah Khan disappoints. She has a ridiculous role and has the same expression in every scene. Thankfully,  she has a short role to play. In face, the agony of enduring her ridiculous performance is more than that of losing Kalpana. Pradeep Rawat as Ghajini Dharmatma is average in his role of  a villain, but not as bad as Jiah Khan,

The music is very good. The lyrics are a little strange, but blame the lyricist for that. A.R. Rahman has composed an excellent music score for the film. However, too many songs can be taxing, although they contain a piece of the story in them.

The movie is supposed to have intense action. Had it not been for Aamir Khan’s superb acting, you would have never given the action a second thought. It can never beat those masterpieces from Die Hard 4.0. The action is actually very silly. Imagine being hit by an iron rod on the head and losing memory for the rest of your life, and imagine being hit thrice on the body with another iron rod, and not even flinching! This, is crazy stuff.

At a running length of three hours, Ghajini is not such a good film, it is full time-pass and is an excellent entertainer. Its definitely better than Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Do go and watch it, as the suspense will keep you on the edge of your seats.

Detailed Ratings [Out of 10]

Plot: 6

Acting:8

Action: 6

Music: 8

Direction: 8

Rating: 7.2/10 [Good]