Ghajini (2008)

It must be the much-hyped movie of the year like all Aamir Khan movies tend to be. Which included the splendid musical score of A R Rahman and Aamir’s year-long exercise regimen that was broadcast frequently on various TV channels. To add to this we had the Ghajini hair style and Aamir’s bald mannequin from the movie greeting us at almost all cinema halls across the country. It’s a fact that Ghajini is inspired by Memento (1999). However it does not follow the storyline of the original movie. It has obviously been ‘flavored’ to suit Indian taste buds so the comparison at this point is worthless.

The ‘Van Huesenish’ , Harvard return millionaire Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan) runs a telecom company called Airvoice from Mumbai. His style statement includes rolled-up short sleeves over his bulging biceps, his flair for negotiating deals with white men and his unmistakable love for technology which is evident from the MacBook he owns.  Enter the bubbly Kalpana (debutante Asin Thottumkal) modeling for an Ad Agency and boasting about her alleged romantic angle with Sanjay Singhania. That not only wins her a lot of favors from her peers but also puts the millionaire in shame of losing his identity until he decides to take the matter in his own hands. The palpable anger however subsides once Sanjay has a brush with the charming Kalpana – it’s love at first sight. She’s loud at times no doubt. But the most endearing quality is her love for the destitute and the weaker sections of the society. Surpisingly the movie is named after the brute character played by Pradeep Singh Rawat called Ghajini Dharmatma. He joins the list of dreaded on-screen men with fancy names but he also gets a movie named after him which is so rare in Bollywood.

Ghajini is an escapist cinema – one that was purely intended to entertain at the cost of factual bluffs. Aamir must be credited for portraying a wild, ruthless and a dark character with such ferocity. The amount of effort that he invested in the making of Ghajini and afterwards is seen on the silver screen. However he growls a tad too much which is discomforting but it’s all absorbed in the action and the story moves on. His sequences with Kalpana are the most enjoyable on screen and complelety contrary to his psychic behavior which is dark, scary and almost animal-like. Such ghastly portrayal of a ruthless evildoer was once a hallmark of ShahRukh Khan in Yash Chopra’s Darr (1993) – Sanjay Singhania is closer to Rahul Mehra in his dastardly animal acts, however his motivation is revenge for the death of his fiancé rather than romance. Aamir’s 8 abs (or whatever they say) matches his brushed look and the shaved head with the deep scars – which are so profound one can imagine the impact of the hit he must have received. The songs (composed by A R Rahman) feel like they were retrofitted in the script to give the audience a respite from Sanjay’s howling and hits. ‘Guzarish’ (no doubt) has been the highlight of the movie with the sandy picturization and Aamir’s flat tummy. The sensuous Jiah Khan also gets to sway with ‘Lattoo’ which has a nice rhythm to it. ‘Kaise Mujhe Tum’ highlights the agony of lovers and thankfulness. This song has a nostalgic feeling to it.

Overall Ghajini is an average fare but Aamir takes the cake for his portrayal of a sick person with failing memory. But before you hop into the cinema hall, read more about anterograde amnesia to help you familiarize with Sanjay’s psychic condition.

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