This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

That was an excellent one.

Such a frustrating disappointment

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

I know this is one movie, but I'm going to use this as a vehicle to express my thoughts on all of modern Indian filmmaking. I believe, based on films such as the Apu Trilogy, they are capable of cinematic art but are simply aiming low and hitting that mark to get a free pass.This film for sure gets a 1 on one thing alone, and that's the blatant plagiarism that even Murugadoss admitted to. I need say no other thing than that, and you'd understand that this film is an atrocity. That's the end of my actual review of the film, so you want my advice if you're considering watching it? Go watch Memento instead.Now for my review of all Indian cinema. What happened to the age of masterpieces such as Pather Panchali or Aparjito or Sansar Apur!? I'll tell you. India forgot the one universal every good film must have. There is no right or wrong in film except for this one thing: your narrative is not the main point of your film. It doesn't matter how interesting your film's plot is. Hook (1991) had one of the most fantastic plots ever and it's an empty, terrible film. Stanley Kubrick's have some of the most illogical, stupidest narratives ever and they're some of the best films ever made. Why? Because they are created to express and embody a single philosophical idea or THEME. Narrative only exists for theme. India does not seem to understand this and seems to think that narrative exists for the sake of it, rather than as an example which proves true a theme. Pather Panchali's theme is that sacrifice is essential to pursue a dream. What theme did the stupid fly reincarnation movie have? None. It was just a plot that built towards no point. I don't say any of this to insult Indians. I say this because Indians are capable of artistic perfection if they simply understand what that is. Now go and make some of the best films in history, as you once did!

Of course,some readers would say that Memento(the English version of Ghajini)was better.*cough cough*EXCUSE ME?!This movie is Oscar material.Momento is crap compared to Ghajini.Guy Pierce acted like a wallaby and didn't look good AT ALL.Surya's looks and acting and Asin's cute and acting must earn this title an Oscar Nomination.Now,to the cons of the film.Nayantara's acting was........BORING!The lady has grown too fat and was also ugly.Her character was also pretty foolish and was technically not needed at all.Riyaz Khan could have taken care of the job pretty well.The villain could have been a little less gruesome.The ending,too,was very abrupt.But two exceptionally good points about the movie were Surya's looks(he was so hot!)and graphics(awesome!).You movie buffs must catch this cool title with subtitles.The songs 'Oru Maalai' and 'Suttum Vizhi'are two wonderful songs which I really liked.I,being a girl who hates Tamil movies,think this one is definitely a winner.With a touch of romantic numbers,a hint of action sequences and a pinch of graphics,Ghajini is a must watch.

What a waste of talent! One of my favourite actors, Surya stars as Sanjay Ramasamy, the rich businessman who, after an incident, suffers from an incurable short-term memory loss. He has done an excellent job right from the beginning till the end, as handsome, romantic Sanjay and the guy suffering from memory loss (is his name Ghajini? it was nowhere mentioned!). He is the spinal cord of the movie. Asin is graceful as his lively love and cute when she narrates the Bombay airport story. She has also shown maturity in the scenes when the inevitable occurs. Nayanthara. Sorry. Wrong number. The villain, Pradeep Rawat (he is better with his turban-clad look as in Lagaan) looks repulsive as well as acts immaturely and forcefully tries to prove us that he is the villain and we should fear him. Grrrr! Total Misfit. The worst is when you have to see too much of him (I don't want to spoil that horrible suspense). "Oru Maalai Ilaveyyil Neram" is composed, sung, picturised and acted out beautifully. Nevertheless, I squirmed during Asin's introductory song. It was indigestibly disgusting. Background music was alright and repetitive. The stunts were only noisy, dull and with no innovation at all. But one must watch Surya in it. And his "run" while chasing the car! Wow! He as always is superb.Now I come to the most important person involved in this movie. The director A. R. Murugadoss. Many of us well know that apart from the romantic scenes, the long boring water fight in the climax, new form of titles (have you seen Brad Pitt's "Fight Club" titles? ringing a bell somewhere?) and a few other scenes, the rest of the movie right from trailer till story is a blind confused copy of Memento (2000 - IMDb RANK - 22). I sincerely appreciate the director for wanting to remake it with some adaptations and let our people have a feel of it. Its a noble desire. Agreed. But I really don't understand why he had to mutilate it, in the process of doing so!!! If any of you have a chance to watch Memento, please don't miss it. When such a brilliant tale exists, why one has to make a movie by cutting bits and pieces of it and making another with some masala and action tailor-made for the Tamil screen? Memento portrays a handsome looking smart and brilliant guy (even during memory loss) who meticulously plans his everyday with pictures and tattoos on his body after having incorporated the illness. He remembers "everything" before the brutal incident but is only unable to remember the "new incidents" for a long time. In Ghajini, the hero is a psychologically affected person who lives in a shabby manner and even forgets people whom he met before the tragedy.Short-term memory loss doesn't have time limit. It has to do with senses and situations. But here, in exactly 15 minutes he forgets. God! Please save the Tamil movie-watchers! How many brilliant scenes are there in Memento to exhibit the loop holes and subtleties of his illness! All were wasted in this. And the main plot of the movie... The truth about what really happened! Where did that go???? Lost cos it wont be accepted by Tamil audience? Com'on guys! Stop making movies for heroes and their images! We Tamils can watch a great movie told in a great way. Please don't make such silly adaptations and blame us always with "They only like to watch this" dialogues. We are an excellent audience. Mind it.Except for the beautifully made romantic scenes and a dedicated performance by Surya and Asin, Ghajini is an attempt to completely disgrace one of the best movies of the world. Either the director has considered all of us incapable of understanding the story in Memento or he himself couldn't understand the movie. Therefore, I recommend him to exercise the use of English subtitles or better hire an English-Tamil translator before going on to adapt another Hollywood masterpiece.Please don't take this comment as an ill-mannered one. As a genuine fan of good movies, I put forth it with utmost honesty. None can appreciate my words unless and until one has watched Memento. Imagine remaking "Titanic" with fight scenes on the ship deck, duet songs with many dancers and some mother-sister sentiment and a long dialogue by Jack before he drowns in the sea. Its disgrace to the original. You'll know what I mean, when you watch Memento. I sincerely request you to watch it, just once.Vaasan

An absorbing movie,about a novel concept with the high dose of violence songs and glamour- is Ghajini in a nutshell. What makes it stand out is the performance of the lead pair- Surya and Asin. Another feather is the excellent camera. Inspired from the Hollywood thriller Memento, the director has done ample changes to fit it into the Indian scenario. A patient (Surya) suffering from Short term memory loss becomes the subject of interest of a glamorous (?) medical student Chitra(Nayantara), who is warned from going any further. When does any girl in a movie listen to sane advice? So Chitra tries to know more about the patient, while the patient goes on a killing spree. The story of the man is shown in flashback through the eyes of an Inspector (Riyaz Khan) who is probing the murder case and gets killed before uncovering it fully. Then it is left to Chitra to bring out the whole truth behind the Hero's present condition and help him take revenge.Surya is Sanjay Ramaswamy, a business tycoon who falls in love with the vivacious and aspiring small time model Kalpana (Asin). Kalpana is basically a simple girl with a loving and kind heart, who lies about Sanjay being in love with her . Once Kalpana saves some girls from the clutches of a group of kidnappers .She gets killed by child traffickers while Sanjay, who is a witness to the murder, is grievously injured, leading to his short term memory loss. The director Murugadoss and Surya have put in a lot of efforts trying to show the plight of the person who cant remember anything for more than 15 minutes. The way he tattoos his body with important names and numbers, takes pictures of the people he would want to remember etc is done innovatively. The villain Rawat is the typical baddie and his double role really seems unnecessary.The positives:Surya is the heart and soul of the movie. He brings out the difference between the two characters fantastically. From being a suave and stylish billionaire to a mentally and physically tortured patient, Surya is simply brilliant. Be it the gentleness of love, amusement, frustration or anger... he coveys it so beautifully through his eyes. He also plays a perfect foil for the bubbly Asin.Asin is the surprise package of the movie. She is smart yet caring, loving yet mischievous and never once does she go overboard. The camera has really caught her at the right angles. Kudos to the director and the actor for making the character of Kalpana lovable and extremely elegant.The pair of Surya and Asin are perfect in every way. They look good and vibe well with each other.In fact, the audience is left with wanting more of this lovely couple. Luckily there is no silly comedy track which deviates from the main story line.The cameraman needs special mention for the classy work.The negatives:Nayantara- The character of Chitra is poorly etched. Though a lot of effort has been put in, to look glamorous, she ends up looking ugly and out of place.She sticks out like a sore thumb. Items numbers, running, glamorous outfits... are not the forte of Nayantara.Pratap Singh Rawat (villain)- is the usual archetype- nothing much of a variation. There are a number of loopholes as well- which could have been easily avoided. Like Kalapana not using the cell phone when caught in the house with the killers, despite having it with her all the time.The violence is senseless and the action scenes are too prolonged, giving a headache. Killing seems to be a pass time for both the Villain and the Hero. Whoever could get away so easily killing so many people? The film could have been shorter by at least 30 minutes- which would have made it sleek and kept the interest going till the end.The Music is not upto the mark. Except for the numbers Sutrum Vizhi sudare and Oru maalai ilaveyil nerum... none of the other songs are worth listening too. Most of the song sequences are too clichéd and disturb the flow of the movie. The movie could have been better with less songs or no songs at all. The back ground music is jarring. Harris Jayaraj is a bad backgound music composer. The Choreography is also a let down. With such a lovely pair, better choreographed songs would have a big plus.Overall this movie is worth a watch because of the refreshing lead pair and the interesting presentation of a new idea.Director Murugadoss has lived upto the Expectation and hype created by Ghajini... but it does not belong to class of 'Ramana'. Maybe next time he will concentrate more on the main story rather than the 'so called' commercial aspects.