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Saturday, December 13, 2008

Ghajini - Tamil style with shades of Memento

If you're looking for the Hindi version of Ghajini with Aamir Khan go here. Or if you want spoilers - I did a comparison with Memento vs both Ghajinis here.

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Okay, I finally gave in and haaaaad to watch the Tamil version of Ghajini. I had to, I keep talking about trying to watch the originals first. Therefore, if I'm able to watch the original first, do it! If not, try to watch it asap. Because it's hard for me to find Tamil and Telugu movies especially the ones I want to watch. Thank goodness I was able to find it online and watched it. So forgive me if the caps are horrible. On top of that, guess what else I did?? Shoot, went and got a copy of Memento, as well. It's been almost a decade since I saw it too. Since then, I do remember the jist of the movie, wanted to refresh my memory again. And so, I did.

Of course, I'm all hyped up to see Aamir's version of Ghajini. I mentioned it
here already and gave my reasons. For those who are worried about Ghajini being a "remake" of Memento. Fear not. At least, the Tamil version isn't. Plus I'm confident that Aamir will not disappoint us either.

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p464/blogspot_images1/Ghajini%20Tamil/ghajini.jpg

For those who have not seen the Tamil version or Memento, you may be wondering if you would enjoy the Bollywood version in a few weeks. First of all, the script is similar to Memento in the case with short-term memory loss. To help aid him in remembering incidents since his brain is unable to restore new memories, he writes notes, get tattoos on his body, and take Polaroid pictures of people. Plus it's also about revenge to find the killer who murder the main character's love one.

Otherwise, Ghajini is its own film, adding its own flavor. Of course, there were flashbacks in the film but isn't as confusing like Memento. Overall, the script to Ghajini has done well to target the Tamil-speaking audience. I'm sure the Hindi version will do the same. But I do think the movie could've cut some of the songs out. However, the songs do deter the movie from being too dark or violent.


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The successful businessman, Sanjay Ramaswamy. After a tragic incident where his ladylove gets murdered, Sanjay suffers from short-term memory loss, in which he can not create new memories and his brain refreshes itself every 15 minutes. He still seeks revenge to find the murderer.

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You would expect me to prefer his tough look rather than the innocent one, right? That's right. He looks like a completely different person!
After seeing his acting skills in Ayutha Ezhuthu and now Ghajini, I officially have a crush on Surya now. Definitely, his six-pack abs is a plus but his every emotions and studly eyes melted my heart.

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For some reason, he reminds me of Siddharth in the above pic.

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Plus I like guys with stubs. Love his look above.

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The above pic has nothing to do with Ghajini but just wanted to share it.

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Kalpana is a sweet, aspiring model. Don't let her good looks fool you. She has a kind heart and go out of her way to help those in need, which caught Sanjay's eyes and heart.

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Asin reminds me of Isha Koppikar a lot in the looks department. She has a meaty role since she is seen in flashbacks only. Unlike Memento, her character is well-develop and descriptive, which makes you fall in love with her. Looking forward to seeing her in the Hindi version!

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Medical student, Chitra, wants to learn more about the case of Sanjay
Ramaswamy because he has short-term memory loss. Unlike Memento, there is no medical student --there is another female character but is caught in the deceptive memory loss game. The character Chitra annoyed me at many parts. Nayantara is just okay. Sometimes her facial expressions didn't impress me.

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Lakshman is the evil, selfish murderer Sanjay is looking for. Unlike Memento, the main character doesn't know who the killer is -- he is still searching for him. Pradeep Rawat is so good which makes you hate him even more!

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Song #1 - "Rahutulla"
Kalpana at work and her intro

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Watch Below



Song #2 - "Oru Malai"
Sanjay falls in love with Kalpana and imagines being with her

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Watch Below



Song #3 - "X-Machi"
Chitra as an item girl dancing in club. Sanjay searches for killer.

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Watch Below



Song #4 - "Sutrum Vizhi"
It's official -- Sanjay and Kalpana are in love!

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Watch Below



Song #5 - "Rangola"
Sanjay and Kalpana can not wait to see each other again and both imagine being together. Second cap reminds me of Hmong outfits since it's tribal looking. Just had to point that out. :)

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Watch Below



Just thought I'll make caps of what is similar to Memento, besides the short-term memory loss and seeking revenge.

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Even though there's these similarities, overall, Ghajini is a good film and worth watching. Below from Memento. Don't just write-off Ghajini, doesn't matter if it's the Tamil or Hindi version, saying that either are remaking or copying Memento. Watch and you'll see a difference!

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p464/blogspot_images1/Ghajini%20Tamil/memento1.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p464/blogspot_images1/Ghajini%20Tamil/memento2.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p464/blogspot_images1/Ghajini%20Tamil/memento3.jpg

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great job! I like the idea of seeing the original Tamil version first too. I was also afraid of the dark/violent theme the movie may have, but it seems I can go ahead and see it anyway, not too dark, eh? I did fall in movie love with Surya too after seeing him and his wife, Jyothika Saravanan, in Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sillunu_Oru_Kaadhal)

I look forward to your review of Aamir's version.

All the best,
Sita-ji

Bollywood said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Itz the Tamil version, wow! I don't speak Tamil so this will not be for me :( But Hindi version is releasing just next week :)

If I liked the Hindi version after seeing it, I'll watch the Tamil thing too. Is there any online language course? Let me find...

Nicki said...

theBollywoodFan - You're welcome! I'm definitely watching the Hindi version when it releases. :) I haven't checked to see if Jiah Khan will be a medical student but I do know that she is in the movie.

The Bollywood Lover - Well, I'm just a Hmong Chick Who Loves Indian Cinema. I don't know Hindi or Tamil. :)

Nicki said...

sita-ji - Thanks for Silluno Oru Kaadhal info. I'm curious to watch it now. I heard that he rocks with is wife on-screen. I don't think Ghajini was as dark as others made it sound to be but that is just me. Especially comparing to the Hollywood film, Memento

Anonymous said...

Nicki they are sizzling in Silluno Oru Kaadhal together, very good chemistry and they are both equally adorable. I still remember a line from the movie where a girl is flirting with Surya on a train and Joythika is observing it, the girl not knowing they are married. One girl looks at Joythika and tell her friend something like, "You could never compete with her, she's cute and chubby like a little bear," which is true! I originally was drawn to the movie after hearing Shreya Ghosal's song from the film called Munbe Vaa. I did a post here a while back:

http://bollywoodfoodclub.wordpress.com/2007/12/24/video-of-the-day-munbe-vaa-from-sillunu-oru-kaadhal-2006/

And eventually I got the movie from Netflix. I really liked them as a couple and to know they are an off screen couple too added interest. It's a solid 3.5 out of 5 for me, maybe even better. Check it out and let me know what you think of it.

All the best,
Sita-ji

Anonymous said...

You don't speak Hindi? So how do you watch Indian movies?

Nicki said...

Thanks so much sita-ji. I am definitely going to watch it!!

The Bollywood Lover - I watch Indian movies through subtitles. Thank goodness for that! Otherwise I wouldn't be able to watch Thai, Korean, or Hong Kong films either. ;P

Prachi Patel said...

i like how u did ur review :)

i will defn watch it...but memento is one of my favorite movies so i might be tough on it :D

Nicki said...

Aaaww Prachi! I understand. That's what happens when we are a huge fan of some films. We do tend to find faults. Nevertheless, looking forward to your review!

Paul said...

I haven't seen the Tamil version but I have seen the Bollywood version and liked it a lot. I especially liked the Jiah Khan role of Sunita and found it rather deep and spicy the way she informed the gangster about Singhania's intent to kill him. In the Tamil version, does the Chitra actress do the same or is that just a plot in the bollywood version?