'Ghajini' gets bumper opening, mixed reviews

Mumbai, Dec 26th : Aamir Khan's much-awaited "Ghajini", depicting the story of a man with a brief memory loss out to avenge the death of his fiancee, had a bumper opening worldwide and received mixed reviews. Aamir said the advance bookings of the film were four times more than the record opening any movie has ever got. There were about 650 paid previews all over the country which boosted the Box Office collections. The three-hour-and-four-minute-long movie written and directed by A R Murugadoss is a remake of a 2005 Tamil film by the same name which starred Asin and Surya in the lead. The film was dubbed in Telugu also. According to trade analyst Amod Mehra, the film has got a "bumper opening" worldwide. "It is a well-made film even though the length is a slight hitch," Mehra told PTI. Decks were cleared for the smooth release of the film which got entangled in copyright issues after Madras High Court lifted a stay and Bombay High court refused to grant a stay on it yesterday. The film was in news throughout its making primarily due to Aamir's specially acquired all-beefed-up look and a new hairdo. The special hair cut was done in March, a few days after the actor's birthday. Critics said despite flaws in the story, the treatment and presentation make all the difference. "Asin is a lively actress and poses a serious threat to all present leading Bollywood heroines. Aamir is the soul of the film. The length should have been trimmed by half an hour," a critic said said. According to trade sources, the film has been released with nearly 1,500 prints. Makers of the film left no stone unturned to promote it since Diwali. Aamir justified the marketing blitz. "Each film is a brand. 'Ghajini' has a huge canvass and the promotions have been done accordingly," he said interacting with reporters after the press screening yesterday. Aamir said his new look was to suit the character which has suffered injuries in the head. The actor also underwent physical training to shape his body. After watching the film with her films, college goer Pooja said, "Performances are to die for and the film is technically superior. I felt the violence was too much and the film should have been trimmed a lot." Sachin, a bank executive, watched the film with his family at a suburban multiplex as it was Christmas holiday. He felt that there were too many faults in the script. "I wonder why there is no mention of a police case in the near fatal attack on Aamir's character who is a top business tycoon," he said. Another college student Priya said she did not like the ending. "Aamir is grievously injured before he kills Ghajini, the villain. The next shot shows Aamir, fully recovered and hair grown, at a orphanage named after his dead fiancee Kalpana celebrating the birthday of one of the inmates," she said. Vijay M, who watched the dubbed Telugu version said the plot of the story is excellent. Especially performance of the lead roles in the movie are commendable. "Though I haven't seen the Hindi version, I believe it will maintain the same tempo," he said.