Movie Review : Ghajini. Less Than Spectacular

National hysteria. That's the only way to describe the phenomenon that bulit up around Ghajini. One reviewer likened the hysteria over Ghajini to the one that was witnessed when "Coolie" was released, following Amitabh Bachchan's near-fatal injury. Aamir Khan himself dubbed the release as "an event". With youngsters around the nation assuming a hairstyle which - according to the film - is because of an injury rather than a style , the film is close to event, indeed. After a not-so-eventful year Bollywood was waiting for Ghajini. The numbers are big. And from what I've heard, three times as big as Shah Rukh Khan's "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

I witnessed it myself. Crowds going crazy within the theatre when the name of the film came up. They cheered when Aamir bashed up the baddies. And clapped when emoted anger. I've not seen all this in a long while. Ghajini is an event.

Ghajini, on its own, is not very different from the revenge-films that used to be made in the 1980s and early 1990s in Bollywood. Nothing wrong with that, if you can come up with an interesting treatment of the same subject. Which, I expected, the short-term-memory loss angle will add. To say the least, I was dissapointed. The memory-loss angle is not focal to the story. Its not even relevant. The story could have progressed well even in the absence of any such angle. And that is what upset me. I was expecting a lot more.

Without that, the story reduces to an average revenge-action-drama. And the things that can be termed 'watchable' are Aamir Khan, the action scenes and the love story. In that order.

The love story between Aamir and Asin is beautifuly depicted. It involves you. And you actually start wondering whats next? Actually, how well the love story is shot determines, how deeply you feel the loss of the protoganist later. And I must congratulate the team for a good job done here. Later on, everytime Aamir remembers what went wrong with him, you can feel the pain. Kudos to Aamir Khan too, for handling those scenes exceptionally well.

Asin is commendable in a role that did not require much shades. Though it did require to exude certain charm. And Asin had it in plenty. Though its lovable, the love-story could have been much more. Things which could have occured to the couple when they are in love, and which comes back haunting the protagonist.

As the story progresses, Sanjay's (Aamir's character) cause must have looked more and more convincing. This however, is not the case. Only Jiah Khan seems to be convinced. And she gives a decent performance in an under-written role. So, as I put it, thought at times you can feel the pain of the protoganist, you still wish there was more to this story. The story progresses in a pretty uni-dimensional manner. For the most part we already know whats coming. All that we want to see is how Aamir does that.

This brings us to the strongest thing about the film - Aamir. Yes, he is amazing once again. Whether its the expression on finding he's in love, to coming to terms with his loss, to the acute hatred that he has for the villain, Aamir does all this with a zeal that makes you wonder could anyone else ever portray it in any manner other than this. Watch him lifting and throwing the goons one over the other. Watch him beat a muscular cop to pulp. It all looks convincing. Aamir's expressions, mannerisms, body language, everything matches the scene in hand. Its an absolute delight to see him perform anything that he choses to. And add that extra zing to the overall effect.

Pradeep Rawat as the bad guy is just not frightening enough. Its not a problem that he dresses like a 80s-90s ka villain. That is perhaps OK. But he has just not been given enough footage. I mean, come on, make him the worst creature on the planet. Pradeep acts sincerely. And acts well. Just that the role is not written to instill fear in the audience. I badly WANTED that. I WANTED to hate the villain like I have never hated anyone. But this just doesn't happens.

Music is definitely a high-point of the film. Even the sound used for various scenes stand apart. Technically, the film is perfect. Cinematography by Ravi Chandran captures moments beautifully. Watch the song "Guzarish" to understand what I mean by "Perfection". Or even "Behka". Ravi's camera work is an important element in the overall narration of the subject.

The action scenes are dealt well. In fact, very well. The action in Ghajini is gritty, raw and powerful. Not the Matrix kinds, but more of the Sunny Deol brand. And it was a revelation to see Aamir perform all this.

Ghajini is hardcore action. With a back drop of a love story. Had the memory-loss track been dealt with a bit more sensibility, it would have ended up being an absolute must-watch. If there are any flaws, they are in the script.

The film works, primarily because of the curiosity around the film and Aamir Khan. Minus Aamir Khan, Ghajini is quite dumb.Whatever is the case, you just have to see Aamir in the role.

But nonetheless, at the end of the day a movie is a business, and from the latest reports, Ghajini has been doing thunderous business.

Chalegi?

Last heard, Ghajini has broken all records for opening collections in the cinematic history of India.