Ghajini

Whatever the title is supposed to mean I mistook it for one of the many names of Lord Ganesha. I have somewhat watched the Tamil original (Telugu dubbed) but not the Hollywood original Memento. Aamir Khan as Sanjay Singhania, Chairman of Airvoice is convincing as much as the revenge thirsty short term memory loss patient. They say one should never argue about/against the script and narrative. I beg to differ but yes, the story was rife with loopholes.

First things first, Asin’s bubbly girl act is (yawn) de ja vu. She is not vivacious but loud and animated which is,perhaps,coming of age in South Indian cinema. Aamir’s body, shirtless and waxed or in Van Huesen shirts and suits is delicious. Asin’s body of work in South Indian cinema is laudably enormous given the settings and stereotypes. The movie is raking in the moolah and will go on to become a top grosser. But to each his own. Ghajini is not menacing the way he is made to be. Is that again the way Ghajini is suppossed to be or an anti-climactic ploy? His Haryanvi Hindi is also, not matter-of-fact, signature. Standing up against Aamir’s revenge and thirst requires some gravity that he failed to display. He could do as much as he was asked to. Ah, remember the days of Ashutosh Rana in Dushman or Sangharsh, not your larger than life villains but uh-oh. His white shoes and gold baubles make him a late 80’s celluloid copy of a chillad don. His cronies are depraving, gross and not up to the mark. They surely look dumb and dumber especially in the fight scenes. It’s another thing if the director wanted to maintain/highlight the impact of Aamir and therefore made them look paltry. The crucial scene in which Asin is holed up in her own house is bone chilling. The helplessness and the slipping hope, and when hope arrives, it is tragically late.

This fetish for playing balancing two characters is the current flavour of/in Hindi cinema. We saw this earlier in Rab ne Bana di Jodi also, where modest Surinder Sahni loves playing the loud and stylish Raj. Here the rather loud Kalpana likes and begins to love the quiet  Sachin after a night long monologue of to be or not to be. There are tender moments in the movie that make her appealing, probably that’s the way her character is shaped.

We could have saved Kalpana if the filthy rich Sanjay gave a thought to providing an undercover security blanket as much as he got her a swanky apartment in upmarket Bombay. But then, Ghajini would not have born. Trash it, it is a bad idea. Ghajini is not meant to be a villain. It is someone’s revenge story, justified or not is hardly consequential. Ghajini had to be hunted down, he was. And revenge prevailed. The killing scenes are gory, the methods even more chilling and the thuds deafening.

Jiah as medic intern Sumitra is supportive. Wish if someone could have toned down those tonged locks and skinny jeans. Her fear is palpable as much as mine. I will hate to close a window in the dark lest you know…

Tinnu Anand's quintessential aspiring act is endearing. But this Aamir who grunts like a beast and kills without remorse is different. Power-packed and earth-shattering, he did look scary and I would hate to meet him.