The first an actor you've probbaly never heard of, let alone like, dislike, admire, follow or not ...
And the latter of course an Aamir Khan (we've all heard of him!) starrer - Bollywood potboiler - and though yours truly doesnt do Bollywood, Tollywood, or Holllywood - quite frankly I dont care for the crap coming out of ANY of these (these days) - if you ask me what my favorite Bollywood flick of all time is?
I'd choose this one.
Why ?
It's not one of Khan's most acclaimed works, for one. It was panned by the critics big time. It's a remake of a Telegu movie I believe, or Tamil, and THAT was a remake of the Memento, I think ...
But it's a massive box office GROSSER (was, and still is).
It brought the masses to watch it like nothing else did!
And while Pradeep Rawat might be and often is mistaken for his damn near look alike in Taare Zameen Par (now the critics loved that one!) and while Dangal and 3 IDiots are Khan's more acclaimed works - for me?
Ghajini forever!
I hope they do a remake.
Sequel, I should say.
But anyway Dangal is the wrestling movie ya'll have all heard of, where he makes his daughter wrestling champions in uber traditional India, and 3 Idiots - well, I didnt quite "love" the movie to be honest - just normal!
Taare Zameen Par was the first one I watched while dating my wife (and groping her apparently - naughty me).
Great concept I thought, but again, not a movie I'd remember - the critics did tho, and still do!
But Ghajini, and Rawat - the latter brings menace to the role of the villian like NO-ONE Ive ever seen before in Indian cinema, not even the great Amrish Puri (famed villian of yore, no longer with us on the earthly plane).
I dont know how. Maybe it's Khan's famed perfectionism shining through there. Goo don him!
He's a legend in India.
But Rawat, especially when he keeps getting pissed over the "patient with short term memory loss trying to kill me - I'll SHOW YOU!" flanked by menacing looking burly GOONS (apes) is one to watch!
The sheer menace he brings to the role is in my opinion unparalleled, except for Anthony Hopkins in the "Silence of the Lambs" series...
And back to the movie - it's non stop action from the word GO - and it's BRUTAL - right from the moment Khan sticks a pipe into a baddie, and finishes off by smashing the chief villain's skull in - literally.
Gory, yes.
Visceral, yes.
Not so much that you can't watch it though - and again, thats why I loved the movie - ACTION!
And, as a friend said about Rambo II when he first saw it
"Perfect Movie! It has romance, a little, not too much, and plenty of masala action!"
Thats Ghajini to a T done professionally like only Aamir can.
Right down to the 12 packs he sculpted at the age of almost 60.
I must admit, though Aamir looks great in the movie, I'm not a huge fan of that look.
He did a fine Sly STallone I'd say - but he missed the crucial "work the forearms and traps like nobody's business", while focusing on the FRONT of the body - and dont get me wrong - maybe thats what he wanted to do!
But Sly is Sly - and in my own unhumble opinion - on a different plane altogether. There is NO-ONE like him - man's a true legend - and no, before you ask, I don't support Rambo being remade with an Indian actor Tiger Shroff in the lead, because - not because I dont like "Tiger", but because ... legend cannot be duplicated, and I believe my words will be proven when and if the remake occurs.
Anyway ...
In Ghajini, the man is a "MOM" man on a mission.
Much like Denzel, another legned in Man on a Mission ...
And he's out to catch the baddie, and thats all he thinks about, eats, sleeps, dreams and has tattoeed on his body.
He wakes up.
And what he does next?
He jumps into pushups!
Then treadmill sprints!
Then pull-ups.
Some of them are done in a way I wouldn't advocate.
But still, you dont see him boobying around at all in the workout scenes.
And that, my friend, is part of what he did in REAL life to get that look too - along with a solid diet.
So thats that on Ghajini - if you're into action - find it with subtitles - and watch!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee