Ghajini

Khoda pahad nikla Ghajini??

Well Well Well… Is there such a thing as a threshold of hype? The marketing campaigns that go into creating hype around the big releases are quite a case study in themselves. That Ghajini would have recovered all of its money in advance booking and music sales, is old news. If after so much push, it hadn’t recovered the money, that would be some news!! But is it a good movie? Let's investigate.

Take one of the oldest bollywood formula – Revenge, try and add a common twist with an uncommon twang – Anterograde amnesia (where the patient remembers only 15 minutes of his past) – That’s Ghajini.. Oh yes.. the flashback also shows us who his lady love Kalpana was and introduces us to a bubbly budding model of a smalltime agency. Endearing and enthusiastic!
To begin with, nothing is awfully wrong with this one. Just that one expected a lot more from the promos. For one, the writings on Aamirs body have only a word of explanation in the film .And that’s that!! There is no REAL significance to them. The oh so popular hair cut is not really a cut, but the way his hair grows back after being hit on the head. (I feel sorry for everyone who imitated it as the cool look…oops! )

It is a very simple story, tried to be told complicatedly with the entire memory loss ho-hum.
Asin (actually her character in the film) lights up the screen everytime she enters the screen. Her onscreen chemistry with Aamir is brilliant, and one has to give her credit for making her mark in the presence of a superstar. Aamir is good. But I don’t mean that as a compliment. For an actor who has been par superlative with every performance, this one is a little overdone. While trying to marry the helplessness of an amnesia patient and the anguish of a lost lover, he treads on the thin line of overdoing and outplaying the role. While he is very believable in most parts, there are also instances where you feel he is trying too hard. Somehow, all the support cast seems to have been told to overact - be it the inspector or the villian.

Songs are unnecessary, although guzarish remains with you well after the movie is over, thanks to the amazing locales. Rehman's music is impressive even in the tiny bits that he plays in.
The director has smartly and thankfully changed the end from the Tamil version, making it more realistic. A lot of time is spent in the beginning before the story kicks off. The dialogues are reasonably good but not outstanding. Overall, the film is just average, the expectation was quite high.

I wonder whether too much hype becomes a negative thing for the film. The box office verdict is out. This IS the biggest blockbuster, but certainly average cinema. Alas, how i wished I hadnt to end a review saying just this... Aamir is worth a dekko!