Movie Review - Ghajini starring Aamir Khan, Asin and Jiah Khan

Hi everyone,

Ghajini...this film has took two years in the making. Aamir Khan plays a rich, cell-phone tycoon in this film who due to an attack suffers with short-term memory loss. Asin who plays the lead heroine is an ad-model, who is a girl that is full of life and is always willing to help others. Jiah Khan plays the medical student who is amazed by Aamir Khan's memory loss and is the confused girl. Pradeep Rawat plays the villain, who is out there to kill whoever is after him.

In terms of visuals, the songs are visualised greatly. Generally, the film is set in the city, it shows some slum areas and shows how there are normal people in India. I feel the film was trying to show that it is important to help others and not ignore it. However, I feel that the film contains too many flaws, especially in the climax. However, if we take it as cinematic liberties, then it is an average film.

The songs for the film are below average. Most of the songs came out of nowhere except for Guzarish and Kaise Mujhe. Those are the only two songs, I enjoyed watching and listening to. The visuals in Guzarish are great. Kaise Mujhe, one has to praise Aamir for this, as his eyes emote excellently in the song. Behke was average. Latoo and Aye Bachchu seemed to be item numbers only. Jiah Khan looked amazing in Latoo!

The director, Murugadoss is incompetent. If it wasn't for Aamir, this film would have fell flat. The director clearly shows that he has given the film a Tamil hangover. The action sequences are full of the Tamil flavour and to be honest, it is not that bad but it didn't keep my full attention. The dialogues are fine, nothing great or special. The film has some substance because you see the effort Aamir has put in the film and Murugadoss needs to appreciate that completely. The story is half written to me. The climax is poor. How does Aamir's character be able to read the diaries in 15 minutes and then find Ghajini and fight him and his gang. How does he not lose his memory? If we take it as cinematic liberty then fair enough, it can be taken. But one must question that why didn't 'Perfectionist' Aamir Khan recognise this during the narration of the film and shooting the film too. Murugadoss must also be grateful with the way Aamir has promoted the movie.

In terms of performance, Aamir is a clear winner in this for his acting ability. Is he good enough to carry on in commercial cinema? Then I am afraid to say NO! I want Aamir to stick to his quality films and he has the ability to mix that in with the commercial aspect. However, Aamir's acting is top-notch, at times he emotes amazingly well with his eyes, at times I found it over the top.
Asin is nice as Kalpana, I could relate to her character and she played a sweet girl to perfection. She was full of energy and happiness. Her and Aamir had good chemistry and made me laugh a few times. It was a good debut into Bollywood, she has potential.
Jiah Khan was nice, mostly for eye-candy. She is pretty and she gives an average performance. At times, she over-acts and she must thank Aamir for making me see over it.
Pradeep Rawat was fine as the villain...Ghajini. I didn't fear him and I didn't care about him. I was actually happy that Aamir did beat the life out of this guy because he got on my nerves. The acting was poor and lacked soul. All I remember is the gold-tooth that he has!

Overall, the film is fairly average. It is not great in terms of its story. It has some soul and substance because of Aamir's performance. Asin also helps Aamir effectively. The film has too many flaws and Murugadoss proves to be incompetent. The songs except for Guzarish and Kaise Mujhe are below average. Guzarish and Kaise Mujhe are memorable. Background music is great. The action is fairly average and is over the top. The cinematography is again average, I wonder if this is the fault of the director. Ravi K. Chandran is normally great and was excellent in previous work. I feel he didn't have enough creative freedom. The general audience will like it and due to the great promotion by Aamir, it will be a blockbuster!

The rating for this film will be 3/5. The credit goes to Aamir and Asin's performance.

Thanks for reading and lots of love,
Rahul N. Singh

Copyright © Chronicles of a Creative Writer. 2008 Rahul N. Singh. All Rights Reserved.

Movie Review - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi starring Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma.

Hi everyone,

I bring to you my first ever movie review. The way I construct my thoughts for the review is simple. I will watch the movie and then think about it. I do not believe I should quickly rush to write a review like other critics do.

So let us go straight to Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. I really do not know how to start with this film because it is special. Possibly special to me because of its simple storyline and something I believe is the biggest strength in the film. This might be because I am a writer. The story is about a simple, ordinary man Surinder Sahni (Shah Rukh Khan) who marries a girl called Taani (Anushka Sharma) due to unforeseen circumstances. He brings her to his home and looks after her. Despite the setbacks on knowing that she may not love him, Suri creates an alter ego called Raj due to a dancing competition. I have to admire Adi Chopra for starting the film with the couple married and this is what is different about this film. It is a sweet story and I appreciate it as a writer and that is enough for those who believe in complete entertainment.

In terms of visuals, do not expect grand sets and may be this is what I, at first, felt was missing. And then I hit back to reality. How can you tell a simple love story with grand sets? How are you going to tell a realistic story with extravagant sets? It is not possible and this is what the audience and movie-goers need to realise. This movie is all about simplicity, it is about the characters. I give all my respect to Aditya Chopra because he does not deviate from the simplicity and he is comfortable with it. If people do not appreciate that, then it is a shame.

The songs are excellent. All of them are with the narrative and they are not placed just anywhere. Each song has a story to tell and the choreography is amazing. One cannot stress how important the songs were. Haule Haule, this leaves you humming and it is all about how Surinder Sahni appreciates the fact that maybe his wife won't love him straight away but she will eventually. Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte, again another song that features five actresses. Go and watch the film to see who they are. But forget the actresses, the guy that stands out is SRK! What a performer. He imitated each actor from Raj Kapoor to Rishi Kapoor with ease. SRK is a natural and yes, he is the star of our era!
Dance Pe Chance, this leaves you wanting to dance. Anushka and SRK prove to be natural dancers and performers. This again is worth watching for its simplicity.
Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta, both versions are a treat to watch. I love the respect that Adi has for all religions. I do not want to say much on this but you have to watch the songs yourselves. They are mind blowing for its simplicity.
Dancing Jodi, is the end sequence but more on that later.

The director, Aditya Chopra. What can I say about this man? He understands the uniqueness of Indian Cinema. He brings simplicity back to cinema. He brings a subject that not many have done before. It is admirable and most of all he has re-invented a new market for cinema. The question people have is how can Taani not recognise Suri to Raj? Well it is simple, they both not only look different, their mannerisms are different and even their voices. Most of all, Adi ends the Raj era. In one scene, in particular and you will know which one but he actually kills the very character that he made famous. Remember how Raj (DDLJ) would never run away with his bride without parent consent...enough said.

The acting by SRK is amazing. I really have no words but to say no actor in Hindi Cinema will touch what he has done in this film. The way he switches from Suri to Raj, he even made people believe that Suri has a split personality before the intermission but this is the greatness of his acting. SRK breathes life into this ordinary man. He brings simplicity, whether it is the comedy, the feelings, the personality of Suri. Then the next moment, he brings a crude, cheap, flirtatious Raj in the next moment. The fact is you feel the characters all the way through and this is the biggest strength of the film. To those that think SRK is too old, go to the opticians. To those that think SRK should retire, go and get yourself a reality check. This guy is numero uno and it is going to stay that way!
Anushka Sharma, what an debut performance. It is not easy to stand infront of India's biggest superstar and perform as good as that. She got straight into character and I could feel for her. It is not easy to essay the character that was done for her as it required very subtle emotions and Anushka does it well. She has a bright future in the industry. Check her facial expressions during the Dancing Jodi song and she leaves you amazed as she shows how her character unfolds the story about her husband.
Vinay Pathak, an actor that has always been consistent. He is funny and compliments SRK really well. He is worth watching as the drunk scene between him and SRK is pure comedy genius.

Overall, I will write once the DVD is out, a detailed scene by scene analysis on the film and post it on the blog. However, this needs to be said. This film is much simpler than DDLJ and it is more powerful than Mohabbatein. For me, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has become my favourite Aditya Chopra film. This film is all about the simplicity of our lives and how we all have simple love stories. The main factor is, if you can see God in the person you love, you know how to love God. That is the message of the film. It is not wrong to love someone more than God aslong as you know it is God that you see in that person. Well done to all those in the film and I do expect this to be a blockbuster! At least this will be a film that you can watch with your family and not come out feeling ashamed!

Rating 4.5/5. The 0.5 less because I think the length could have been shorter but to be honest, it doesn't really matter. However, everyone please watch and listen to end credits, it is amazingly funny and sweet. You will leave with a smile.

Thanks and lots of love,
Rahul


Copyright © Chronicles of a Creative Writer. 2008 Rahul N. Singh. All Rights Reserved.

Unite and not divide!

Dear readers,

I hope everyone is fine, I must say that this week has took its toll on me. Seeing the anguish, the fear, the anger, the pain, the grief on the face of India, it brings me to an all-time low.

I have stayed away from commenting on the Mumbai attacks because I did not know how to formulate the views in my mind on paper. I did not know what to say, in case my words got misunderstood due to the feelings of many Indians and those with any connection with Indians.

As we know, Islam does condemn anyone that kills. We all know that and we know that terrorists do not have any religion, they do not belong to any state, any region, any caste, any nationality. They have no identity in this world. My message to everyone is simple, just do not point your fingers at anyone.

At the moment, the India-Pakistan relationship is on a thin-line but let us not stop loving each other and let us not stop to look for unity. Let us not blame the Pakistani Government, when they have no links to the terror camps (unless proven). However, the Indian Government with the world should formulate a plan to get rid of the terror camps that reside in the nation of Pakistan.

I personally have many Pakistani friends and I want to tell you all that I still have high regards for you, my unconditional love for you still stands strong. I know the time at the moment is difficult but if we the good people of this world can come together and create peace in this world that only wants to separate us, we can surely achieve unity in diversity.

My message to each and every person, young and old, whatever nation you are from, let us come together in this time of need and look at how we can spread love instead of hate, spread peace instead of havoc, spread unity instead of diversity. This is something we can do. Let us do the exact opposite to what those terrorists did in whatever attacks they made in the past.

We all believe in the oneness of God. If we all believe that God is one then that must mean that we are all equal to each other. This must mean that we can give love to our neighbours. This mean we can give to respect to those that follow different faiths and religions. It can be done and we have to set not only our minds and hearts to this message but set our souls to this message too.

If I have said anything wrong in this post, then my sincere apologies to anyone that is hurt. My intention is to create peace and unity within this diverse world. Let us use the beauty of diversity to bring us all together.

God bless and lots of love,
Rahul N. Singh


Copyright © Chronicles of a Creative Writer. 2008 Rahul N. Singh. All Rights Reserved.

Shah Rukh's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has music success!

© www.yashrajfilms.com

Hello Readers,

It was not long ago when I wrote my music review on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and I said that the music will taste success. It was a subjective opinion, however now subjectivity meets with objectivity.

I was quite skeptical to the way the critics would handle the music and I was absolutely right. Not everyone would open up to it. Critics wrote reviews which seemed to be unfair and to be very biased against SRK. There were a few reviews which praised the simplicity of the music and lyrics but critical success was average.

Despite the reviews, people have gone out and bought the albums and gave it a listen. I am sure it took everyone time to get used to the simple music and simple lyrics. However Box Office India has showed us that regionally in India the music is a success. In the North, East and West of India it is first in the charts and in the South it is second to Dostana. Overall, for a film that has only been released for a month has tasted quick success. Well done to the team of Yash Raj. For the source of information click here: Film Music Sales - Regional Novemeber 2008

Music lovers will love RNBDJ. The music is soothing, its calming, it has every element. I still listen to the album every day. At times, I want to get away from the music and I do try to listen to something else but I cannot. Something pulls me back to it. I am sure that is the case with you?

The fact is simple. Keep the music simple and keep the lyrics simple and you will get somewhere. The fact is that Haule Haule music hit hona hi tha! Yes, I knew it would take time but now I am addicted to this album and I can only praise first of all the director Aditya Chopra, the music directors Salim and Sulaiman and the lyrics to Jaideep Sahni! Also, praise needs to go to the choreographers and most of all to Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma on setting the screen on fire with the song promos. Let us hope that Ghajini also has the same success and can win over its critics.

However, catch Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi at a cinema near you on the 12th December 2008!

Take care and lots of love,

Rahul N. Singh


Copyright © Chronicles of a Creative Writer. 2008 Rahul N. Singh. All Rights Reserved.