Ghajini - Bollywood style with Aamir Khan

Finally saw the Hindi version of Ghajini with the one and only, Aamir Khan. Am I satistfied? Yes!! Disappointed? Nope. Is it your favorite film of the year? Nope. Is it similar to the Tamil Ghajini? Yes and No.

Well, as you may or may not know, I have seen Memento. A week ago, I saw Surya's Ghajini, which I discussed about the similarities of the two films. After I post this, I am going to blog about all three films, the differences and similarities.

Today, I had my heart on seeing Aamir's Ghajini for a while in the theater. I love all kinds of film genres. Some people may think this film is too violent for them. Not me! One of my favorite Hollywood films is American History X, which is a very violent movie. For me, I try not to dismiss any films of any language or genres. If I do, I'll never get to say that I have seen it. I try to open my eyes and see it with an open mind.

Memento is a wonderful, unique film. Maybe since it's not on my top favorite films of all times that I'm not as critical in analyzing Ghajini? Well, I'm saying this because if a certain film is one of your favorites, no matter who remakes it, or what language or country does it, you will criticize the "remake" or if there are just certain elements that are "copied." Honestly, I don't see Ghajini, Tamil or Hindi, a remake of Memento. But Ghajini has copied and taken the main plot of Memento, no doubt -- the Polaroids of people for remembrance, short-term memory loss, notes and tattoos on body.



If I like Surya's Ghajini, I will like Aamir's Ghajini, right? Right, but even more. I enjoyed so much that when I came home, I couldn't write a review without any caps! Therefore, I was able to make some caps online. No spoilers here but my next post with the comparison with the two Ghajini's and Memento will have lots of spoilers.

Below, copied and paste from Surya's Ghajini. Almost exactly the same on some. If you want spoilers, you can read here with comparisons, even with Memento.



The successful businessman, Sanjay Sinhania. 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.



Aamir Khan. What can I say or not say? He is my favorite actor. The best. He has not disappointed me for the longest time. Love his transmations. Love how he tries new roles. Love his facial and expressive eyes! Love, love, love him!



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. Since I liked Asin in the Tamil version, I absolutely adored her in the Hindi version as well! Sge 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.



Medical student, Sunita, wants to learn more about the case of Sanjay Sinhania 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. Unlike the character Chitra, in Surya's Ghajini, Sunita didn't annoy me as much. I quite like Jiah Khan playing the role, which she added the extra oomph on screen.



Ghajini 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. Unlike Surya's Ghajini, there was no one named Ghajini. Pradeep Rawat is so good which makes you hate him even more!



Song #1 - "Aye Bachchoo"
Kalpana at work and her intro





Watch Below



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





Watch Below



Song #3 - "Lato"
Sunita as an item girl dancing in club. Sanjay wants to kill Ghajini.





Watch Below



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







Watch Below



Song #5 - "Kaise Mujhe"
Sanjay and Kalpana part, thinking about each other.





Watch Below



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











Stay tune for my comparisons with all three films. Update 12/31/2008 - you can read it here now.

Can't wait for Ghajini!

Reviews

Ghajini (Tamil) non-spoilers - go here - 12/13/2008

Ghajini (Hindi) non-spoilers - go here - 12/28/2008

Memento vs Ghajini (Tamil) vs Ghajini (Hindi) major spoilers -
go here - 12/31/2008

So I was having problems with Blogger all weekend so didn't get to post any reviews. Left the images at home too. :( I don't usually talk much about forthcoming movies or anything. However, I will today.

So I will talk about Ghajini. I'm excited for this movie. I don't usually run to the theater to watch movies but I will with Ghajini. I just recently went to watch Dostana in the theater because John hasn't released a single movie this year, so I was missing him.

Aamir Khan
Is there any other reasons? He is my absolute favorite actor! I haven't been disappointed in any of his films in such a looooong time. I don't remember the last time I was disappointed. It was definitely over a decade (or more) ago! He gets extra points for always trying out something different. Go Aaaamir!

Storyline
Sure, it's inspired by the original Tamil version, which was inspired by the Hollywood movie, Memento. I looooooved Memento. Those of you who have not seen Memento, please go see it! I have not seen the Tamil version but really want to. It has Surya who I was very impress with in Ayutha Ezhuthu. Looking at posters of Surya, I can not believe it's the same guy. Edited - 12/11/2008 - I saw the Tamil version of Ghajini - looooved it! Can't wait to see Aamir's take on it.



Music
Wonderful music!!!! Especially the lyrics. If you haven't listen to any of it, you're missing out! As a non-Hindi speaker, I find theBollywoodFan's blog very useful for English translations. Check them out!

Production
As a die-hard fan of Allu Arjun, I was dumb not to realize that Geetha Arts is producing Ghajini. Why does it matter to me? Well, Geetha Arts is Allu Arjun's father, Allu Aravind's, production company!

Taare Zameen Par - one of my favorite films in 2007

Ishaan (Darsheel Safary) is an eight year old boy who is unable to comprehend subjects taught in school and hates going to school. He often daydream in class and gets in trouble. The teachers are unable to understand him. Even his parents don't understand him. They think he's just lazy. After many complaints from the school, his dad sends him off to boarding school. A new art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) joins the boarding school and is able to understand Ishaan. He bonds with Ishaan and understands his frustration. With Ram's help, Ishaan conquers his inability to do well in school.

First of all, people already have high expectations from Aamir Khan because he's known to be a perfectionist. Taare Zameen Par is his directorial debut film. Honestly, he's my favorite actor and I didn't want to be disappointed. I kept reading reviews how great the movie was. I didn't want my expectations to be shattered. However, I was so wrong! I have to say it's my favorite movie of 2007. I was hesitant to watch the movie at first. I have no idea why. I knew that Aamir wouldn't disappoint me but still I wasn't too sure about watching the film yet. When I went to watch Dhan Dhana Goal on the big screen and saw the trailer for Taare Zameen Par, I knew I had to watch Taare Zameen Par. The movie was so different from most films I've seen in Bollywood.

Darsheel made me cry. He's so good. I look forward to seeing him more in the future. This child star will shine brightly. He's so adorable as the goofy kid who didn't pay attention. What I also love about the movie is Aamir let the movie be Darsheel's. You didn't see Aamir until the second half. More props to him for that. Kudos to Darsheel for receiving two awards for his performances from Filmfare and Screen who is the youngest star to ever win the awards.

The film is just so good and different. Just watch it. Aamir Khan, you're still a perfectionist. And you're looking so much better with age.

I should change the title of this blog since Taare Zameen Par IS my favorite Bollywood film of 2007