Ghajini vs. Memento

Ghajini vs. Memento
(contriuted by: vjkdua, July 26, 2009)


Earlier this evening I was reading about an opportunity HT group gave to Chetan Bhagat to write a short story. Bhagat was of the thought that there are few such opportunities and welcomed it more because of the free hand given to him. The topic of his choice seemed more obvious to me and was discussed over a few weeks back at NDTV, where the author also showed his presence.

These thoughts from Bhagat made me get back to my thoughts on the film ghajini, based on the 1992 Hollywood flick named 'Memento.' A few days back, I wrote to Aamir Khan at his BLOG and posted my thoughts on how I felt about the two movies. ghajini on one hand shows a man building up his muscle power to fight the goons who took away his girl, while Memento's central lead, would only be seen scratching his body hair to put rememberance thoughts.


This act by the two leads made me get deep dive into the process which made them do so(build body, put thoughts on the skin). For sure, both had similar experiences (though I faintly recall, how and why the Memento lead got to this situation, however considering the event which spurs it all is losing the love of their life.)


If one gets into the thinking mode and puts oneself into others shoes (here, others skin), one gets to think that if such a traumatic experience comes to oneself, how many of us would be in a position to take revenge, after all who would not want to get evil with the evils who did it all.

The first thought comes to the alive mind, is how would one emotionally react to the situation on realising that one's loved one is no more with them and it brings to shatter the dreams one had. For sure, it must be a great emotional loss and must be unbearable and one would want to die.

However, as one comes to sense (here, the loss of sense and memory was referred as short term memory loss with a 15 minute timer). After all, when such a loss happens, how would one realise that there has been such a memory loss. Would it happen one fine day, that the man shall look into the mirror, and ask "Hai you talking to me ?" (for sure it can only be asked if are a DeNiro fan), however coming to the reality of such a situation, it seems difficult as to how would one experience such a (memory) loss.


To understand the situation more, let me get into other similar situation though cannot find one of same magnitude, yet situations from forgetting where I left my book, cheque book, my wallet or any material object, in my case, it has to be a pen, after all what would you expect a writer to react to, on losing an object of his affection (I aint got a pretty kalpana in my life though).


I took a little gap, a breather (as IPL folks would say a refreshing break...all for commercial reasons, i got to find more such reasons for me though), Now that the break is over, I am back in action, and would straightaway go to the climax of my thoughts. After all what made me get deep dive into the mind set of two leads. The questions that come to my brawn brain are:

1. Is one emotionally in a position to get to onself and take revenge;
2. Is everyone capable to take revene in such a manner (for sure if everyonez being talked about, movies and their central leads, dont belong to that category, you gotta be an extraordinary, ordinary man..woofff... to get such an opportunity)
3. Would the approach be to simply put on flexi muscles and get ready for the job (though here there seemed many other tasks involving clicking pics of every piece of rememberance and creating a billboard and stick up all those pictures, must have taken a while)
4. How do I realise, if I am going through a short term (memory) loss, only a smart would man realise that...after all;


These thoughts are worth thinking since this is what creates a difference in the presentation of the two leads (ghajini vs. Memento).

However, the latter as I always felt scored over the other in terms of the reverse order of the screenplay and the originality of it, which would have been alarming for the Indian audience, for we consider them too mentally alive, but often are so engrossed with the day today lives, that one can only assume that they get used to the mediocrity of life and fail to appreciate, such nuisances of reverse order of screenplay. I think only the Hollywood audience, though none less the generation of today as well would have been able to adapt to such story telling, however it would have doomed Aamir's sky-rocketting Box Office Collections. However, here I end my thoughts about comparing the two flicks.

Though the only question that raises an alarm in my head is - would one have the courage and determination, to build up muscles and go for the kill.


For sure if you have a gymn guru your side, whose ready to put you to a regime why wouldn't you go with a bulging body to let the goons be surprised and after all it adds to the film climax. However, Memento lead with visible skeleton of his body, could do none less however would not have fitted into the image of an emotional-ready-to take revenge hero, if presented like wise in the Indian version.


Whatever approach one may follow and how hard one may train, the loss of losing one's LOVE is common to the two movies.

There may be more questions, raised on what sort of indianisation we do the originals and how typecasted we still are, more of it, later.

This Blog is dedicated to the spirit of movie makers ready and raring to make more meaningful movies and the critics my kind wanting to highlight the critical areas of today's cinema, besides I want to thank my ex-manager, Sid...aka...Mr. wai wait wait, who gave me the inspiration to begin using the online forums and write something deep inside me. Besides, my buddy, Nitz...as we love to call him, who would be too busy to read it all, hope he finds time to read it. In addition, I would like my new fb friend, Mr. Khalid Mohamed, who gives me more a reason to write and hope, I have been able to write following his footsteps (i knw sarjee...getting too emotional now) but hope that Khalid ji goes on to read it and gives me a word of advise or two. And not to say the least, Chetan Bhagat for whom I already wrote a few words at the start of my blog, thanks for the simplicity of thought you offer in your work.