Ghazini Review

Dubbed films are working in Telugu these days. And Ghajini, too, works big time.

The film provides abject lesson in how to make gritty commercial entertainers that are intelligent and artistic, too. The dubbed venture, with intelligent dialogues from Shashank, makes for pleasing watch.

The story is not the most original (a lift from the Hollywood flick Memento). But what makes the film work is a smart script and good performances from the lead pair Suriya and Asin.

The story is about Sanjay Ramaswami (Suriya), the handsome billionaire telecom tycoon. He falls for the effervescent charms of a small-time model Kalpana (Asin). Life becomes a problem when Kalpana busts a child racquet gang headed by Lakshman (Pradeep Rawat). She is bumped off and Sanjay is rendered hors d' combat. In the attack,he becomes a short-term memory loss patient  ---- his memory lasts only for 15 minutes.

But he is on a mission to annihilate the goons. But how does such a man, who has to have photos to remember his house, make it happen? In between, there is the intervention of medical research student Chitra (Nayantra).

The film is very slick and has a veneer of polish all through. Suriya as the smart industrialist and then as the revenge-seeking memory-challenged patient is decidedly brilliant. He has taken extra pains to show the difference between the two characters. He is one of the reasons for the film's success. Asin is not far behind. She is bubbly and vivacious and her exchanges with Sanjay Ramaswamy are cute and enjoyable.

Nayanatra, with a Sania-like nose ring, has nothing much to do. She has to watch out on her waist line. Pradeep Rawat, in a surprise dual role, is as usual good.

Harris Jeyaraj's music is easy on the ears. They have both the melody as well as the rhythm. Rajasekhar's camera work is of the highest quality.

Murugadoss has shown that he is indeed an adroit director in tune with both class and mass audience.

Ghajini, certainly a good try.