Ghajini

Director Murugadoss has made bold with an absolutely new idea and to his eternal credit makes it work with finesse and flashiness.

The film's production qualities (the technical gloss is eye-boggling) are top class and you feel that Tamil films are coming of age.

The story of memory loss to the hero may sound corny. But how about something novel as losing memory every fifteen minutes?

Well Ghajini tries to tell the story of man coming to terms with this condition, even while bumping off his adversaries.

And the film would not have been possible but for the lion-hearted show of Surya, who has taken every risk in the book to make a fist of the role. His performance (acting as well as action) makes a complex narrative acceptable and easy to comprehend.

Sanjay Ramasamy (Surya) is a rich tycoon suffering from quick memory loss. His story is unraveled by a medico Chitra (Nayantra) who wants to a kind of research on his medical condition. A welter of events lead to her un spooling the events of his life through his diary. In the meanwhile, a police officer (Riyaz) handling Sanjay's case is killed.

Chitra comes to know about Sanjay's love with Kalpana (asin) a model cum activist. When her activist work for children comes in the way of child racketeers, she is killed by Lakshman (Pradeep rawat) and group.

So Sanjay sets out on a revenge spree. He, who is hit on the head and loses his recalling ability, comes up with ingenious methods to remember names and faces (tattoos all over the body and instant photos).

It is a impressive story told in a very inventive manner. Surya steals the show. Be it the romantic and rich Sanjay or the struggling man out to seek revenge, Surya is simply original and expressive.

He has really bent his back to make the action sequences sizzle. Sizzles, he also with Asin. The two some really make a pair. Asin is full of vibrant energy. Nayantra is okay-dokay.

The film could have done with a little more of humor. Harris Jeyaraj's music is again brilliant. He lifts the film to a new high with his smart rerecording. Rajasekhar's camera work is also another high point of the film.

Kanal Kannan’s stunt choreography needs special mention.

Thanks a lot for Murugadoss for showing that masala movies need not be inane or insipid.

Ghajini works, big time.