Ghajini (2008)

Writer/Dir: A.R. Murugadoss (Stalin, Ghajin <2005>)
Cast: Aamir Khan, Asin, Jiah Khan, Mohit Ahlawat
India, 2008

Seen: December 31, 2008

Reason to see: It snuck into the theatre without my noticing, which got me curious

I'm relatively new to Bollywood film, to be honest I've seen more films commenting on Bollywood films (Shot in Bombay, Bollywood/Hollywood, etc) than actual Bollywood films. So at first glance it was hard to see anything but the striking resemblance to Christopher Nolan's film Memento as we follow the protagonist whom has short term memory loss, tattoo's and carries a Polaroid camera. But, it's a remake of a 2005 of the same name so which film is it really borrowing from?

Putting all of that aside, Ghajini has a lot to offer. It's an action-romantic-mystery-musical-comedy, in that order. The action sequences are impressive, although way more violent than I was expecting especially considering the incredibly sweet romance within the film. Recipe for the perfect date movie perhaps? The musical numbers were very entertaining and the music itself is awesome. One thing that was fascinating with the musical numbers, which were like watching a video in the middle of the film, was how they could be used to introduce a new character into the film. After a song, all of a sudden we know so much more than what could have learned in just words in the same amount of time. The film also keeps you guessing while it keeps the story moving, which is no small feat considering it clocks in at just over 3hrs. Don't let the running time scare you off, there is a lot of entertainment value packed in there and I for one was enthralled the entire time.

What it took to get there: After checking out the official website of the film, there is a video diary of the 1 year training Aamir Khan went though to achieve a fantastic physique you see in the film. What an inspiration.

Warning: Violence

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'll buy it
I'd recommend it as fun thrill ride

5 minutes of preshow including 1 commercial and 1 preview: The Proposal

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009