A golden ‘Ghajini’ statue for Aamir Khan

‘Ghajini’ had everything new about it- be it a very unique storyline, be it Aamir’s new hairstyle, be it the innovative way of promoting it, be it the launch of Van Huesen ‘Ghajini’ line and the latest being the never before heard gesture of appreciation from producer Madhu Mantena to Aamir Khan.

Madhu Mantena presented a solid-gold statue to Aamir designed specially to resemble Aamir’s Ghajini look at the party held to celebrate the film’s success earlier this week.

“8 abs included. We can see all 8 of them on the statue,” Mantena states proudly.

The statuette is pure gold and probably cost the producer close to Rs. 70-80 lakhs though he isn’t telling.

“It has certain amount of other metal to make it malleable. Solid gold wouldn’t allow the identical Ghajini shape to be done in gold. But the idea was to create an Oscar-sized statue exclusively for Ghajini. Aamir knew he was getting a trophy. But he didn’t know it would be golden and with his Ghajini’s look. He was overwhelmed,” says Mantena.

Director Murugadoss was also given a statue, though far less hefty and golden than Aamir’s, but of course including the 8-abs.

Aamir Khan at SRK again

For all those who thought that SRK and Aamir’s war of words is over - think twice ‘coz they are back to it again.

In a recent interview with TV channel Zoom, Aamir talks about everything under the sun which includes friend Salman and not so close friend Shahrukh Khan. Read below…

On Katrina saying that he joins the league of best physiques: , “I’m flattered by what Katrina said. But if you will ask me, I like John’s physique. I think he’s got a great physique. I think Salman has got a great physique.”

On converting from media shy to media friendly : There was a time in the middle for about two and half years that I kept away from media as I didn’t know how to deal with them. I do understand that media has an important role to play. I would like to give them value.

On accepting awards in future : The things that I value, I like to give time and energy too. As far as media is concerned its very important to engage them as I’m part of it. Do I have issues? Yes I have. But if I want society to change, I have to engage with it. I can’t just keep away from it. The same thing I feel about media. If there are issues, it’s not good to just keep away from them.Just engage with them. As far as award ceremonies are concerned, I have nothing against them. I’ve been to the Oscars; I’ve been to the BAFTA. I have absolutely no problem in going to certain award functions.

On Shahrukh Khan,: I think Shah Rukh enjoys taking Potshots at me. And he’s been doing this over years. Which I really enjoy well… So, I thought why not to reply to him as well. SRK is always saying ‘I’m Number.One, I’m Number One…’ I’ve been hearing this for the last twenty years. I’ve never heard Lata Mangeshkar saying it. Or Sachin Tendulkar saying it. Or Mr. Bachchan saying he’s Number One. I think if you’re Number One, there’s no need to say it.

You can catch this hot interview exclusively on ZOOM on January 4 at 12.30 pm.

Aamir Khan: I am open to working with SRK

Aamir Khan is being asked quite a few repeated questions these days, some are all about Ghajini and others are about King Khan SRK, and our perfectionist Khan loves to answer them wittily.

Recently when Aamir was asked wether a SRK-Aamir movie is a possibility, to which he replied, Of course, it is! I am open to working with SRK. I have no problems. Only thing, the script has to do justice to the two actors. I’m sure there’re a lot of capable directors who’d be interested in signing this combination,’ he states. Any director who can get this dream cast together? ‘Oh yes, Mani Ratnam, Ashutosh Gowariker, Farhan Akhtar, there’re so many talented names out there. I’m game to work with a new director as well if he has the right script.”

Would you love to see Aamir-SRK together in a movie?

Party time for ‘Ghajini’ team

The long and hard work from the team of perfectionist Khan has finally paid off and ‘Ghajini’ has broken all records by becoming the only Indian film to earn one billion rupees at the box office across the country in less than a week of its release on Christmas. Apart from this, the film has fared very well in the overseas market as well with a gross of US four million dollars in the same week. Not to mention, it called for a grand party and celebration.

So, it was party time for cast and crew of ‘Ghajini’ as they celebrated the huge success of their film in Mumbai. A cake was cut by Aamir with figures of the collection topping it.

Aamir Khan was more than happy at this success and said, “I'’m very happy and thankful that the film is being appreciated by the audience so much. The hard work put in by the entire team is being appreciated by the people.”

Asin, who has done many films in South and makes her debut in Bollywood with this film expressed her delight at the film’s success and thanked the audience for appreciating her performance. “I don’t come with baggage or expectations. I just focus on my work. I thank you all for the love you have given,” said Asin.

Amul’s Ghajini Mania

Ghajini is a hit and probably has become the biggest brand of year 2008 and now our very own cheesy Amul guys have used the wonderful brand to get out their very own Amul Ghajini.The body of Aamir in Amul’s ad reads, ‘I slice bread'’, ‘ I make sandwich’ ‘GET AMUL’!Well Aamir is surely looking utterly butterly delicious in the latest Amul ad. You like?

John Abraham In Awe of Aamir’s Body!

John Abraham had been voted as sexiest male by popular Eastern Eye magazine. People rave about his chiseled body and washboard abs but he is more impressed with Aamir’s body.

He said, “I may be fit but when I look at Aamir Khan and the way he has developed his body just for a role, it scares me,” he adds, “We actors should take a leaf out of his book and look at how he has changed cinema in this country.”

His Daniel-Craig-style-emerging-from-the-sea scene got him quite a bit of attention doubled by Dostana’s super success. His body took more of people’s attention than his acting, but he says,
“I’m never ashamed of talking about my body. Though at times I do feel like a meat shop.”

Aamir on the other hand said, that his body in Ghajini is not the center point of the film and its story. He wished that when people come out of the theatres after watching the film, his performance should take them such a way that his muscular body should be the last thing they remember.

Indeed, as John says - Aamir is truely awe-inspiring!

Asin Feels Lucky in Bollywood

No debutante could have had a better debut than actress Asin. She was a renowned actress down south and she got a chance to make a debut opposite the great Aamir Khan. Ghajini is the biggest hit of the year and Asin is flooded with Bollywood offers… Lucky isn’t it! Thats what she feels.

“I was approached for ‘London Dreams’ while I was shooting for ‘Ghajini’. I don’t know how they found out about me. I have just finished a long schedule of shooting the film abroad and some of it is still left.

“But I feel I have received a very warm welcome to Bollywood. Both my initial projects are with good banners, actors and filmmakers. I feel lucky and blessed,” she told IANS.

Ghajini Makes 90 crores in 5 Days

Aamir Khan’s Ghajini is proving to be the biggest hit of all times. The film released on Christmas day and in 5 days it has made a whooping 90 crores.

“A Christmas release, Ghajini has collected revenues totalling $4 million (nearly Rs.200 million) till Sunday, taking its total worldwide collections to nearly Rs.90 crores in just five days since its release,” reports a source.

“According to BIG Pictures, Reliance BIG Entertainment Ltd (RBEL), which released “Ghajini” in 22 countries, opened with $0.92 million in the Middle East, followed by North America with $1.4 million and Australia with $254,000,” adds the source.

Ghajini and RNBDJ not to be released in Pak

Due to the ongoing tension prevailing between Indo-Pak after Mumbai Terror attacks, Pakistan has stopped the exhibition of Bollywood flicks.

Nadeem Mandiwala, a distributer says, “There is nothing officially conveyed to us but the censor and culture ministry has not cleared any new Indian films for release after the Mumbai incident.”

Another Cinema owner says, “We don’t know how long this situation is going to last but we are afraid of the worst.”

A shopowner reveals, “People are coming back to us for pirated prints of RNBJ and Ghajini as they are not up for release in cinema halls,”

“It’s back to business again because no matter what the state of relations between the two countries, people don’t want to miss out on the latest films of superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan,” another shop owner adds.

That’s a definite blow for SRK’s and Aamir’s Pakistani fans.

Aamir denies forming a team with Salman against SRK

Aamir Khan in a recent candid interview with a website, denied forming a team with Salman Khan against Shahrukh Khan.

When the interviewer asked him, How true is it that yourself and Salman are forming a team or a camp against SRK?

There is no truth in that at all. I think, Salman, Shah Rukh and me are individuals in our own right. I have a relationship with SRK and Salman. Both are friends and there are no camps or anything like that.

Aamir, I’ve lost a bit of my memory. Can you please tell me who was the lead actor in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi?
Why do you guys do this to me yaar. You like such things, don’t you? One day because of you, I’ll be beaten up badly (laughs).

Well now that the air is cleared, we hope Aamir and SRK fans will stop fighting on this issue.

Aamir Khan makes Mona Singh Nervous!

Mona Singh of the Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin fame is making her Bollywood debut with superstars Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor in Raj Kumar Hirani’s Five Point Someone adaptation 3 Idiots. She is very excited and nervous about the film.

Mona says, Aamir is so good. It’s not even funny. He makes me so nervous. In fact, the thought of working with any of the big stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan makes me very nervous. But for now, I am excited.”

She plays Kareena’s sister in the film and talking about her role she says, “I play a very bubbly character in the film and my look is very different from what I look right now. My role is really good and I have a major part in the climax of the film.”

Mona is a fairly good actress we saw her acting skills in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and she dances amazingly - that made her win two dance competitions on TV. We hope the actress does well on the silver screen too.

Aamir blogs about his tension

A day just before the release of Ghajini, Aamir Khan went into great depression thinking about the future of his flick.

In his blog entry, he wrote that he was suffering from prenatal depression and behaved like a zombie.

He writes, “The last 24 hours have been (the) most traumatic… I am emotionally totally drained… just before any of my films release I go into a pendulum mode. One sec I feel very optimistic about the film and the next I’m sure no one’s going to like it. I lose my smile, my appetite (and) my sleep.”

“On the whole, I am listless and walk around like a zombie. VVC (Vidhu Vinod Chopra)…accurately described it as prenatal depression. The film is about to be delivered and will be out of our systems so to speak. Then, it will have a life of its own which we have absolutely no control over.”

“It’s too tough making films. All the two years of planning, preparation, creative discussions, the struggle to shoot the film and the sleepless nights of post-production ultimately culminate in a three-hour experience in the darkness of a cinema hall.”

“(And) this time around it is a remake of a Tamil film, so I am especially anxious. ‘Ghajini’ was a huge success in the south and Surya (Sivakumar) had done an excellent job in the original. I hope that I have been able to do justice to the film.”

Well Ghajini’s 100% collections at the box-office must have surely vanished his depression.

Now control Aamir in Ghajini

After the success of Ghajini at the big screens, Aamir Khan and the movie bosses have decided to unveil Ghajini game for excited gamers. The game is 3D based and features movie locations and scenes which gives the real feeling of the flick.

Aamir Khan has lent his voice to his character for the game and has taken much interest in the game

Executive director, Biren Ghose at the launch of the game says, “What better than an exciting film like Ghajini which stars one of the most pioneering and trendsetting actors - Aamir Khan to launch India’s first 3-D PC game. We see the game as another cinematic frontier. Eros International and FXLabs will hopefully be the first in creating a new line of games that leverage big movie titles and stories. Eros is committed to providing innovative solutions to its consumers and offering the interactive ‘Ghajini’ PC game is another way of delivering on that promise”.

Sashi Reddi, Founder and CEO, says, “We are thrilled to launch this technologically advanced 3D PC game based on a major Bollywood movie. Our aim is to extend the movie experience through our game to all Ghajini fans globally and we are excited to have had the opportunity to work with one of Bollywood’s finest actors and stars - Aamir Khan on this project”.

So are you equally excited for the game?

Aamir Khan Beats Shahrukh Khan at Box Office

Aamir Khan Beats Shahrukh Khan at Box Office Ghajini, as we all know broke all the advance booking records. The box office reviews say that Ghajini raked Rs.7 crores during 650 paid previews at multiplexes in India Wednesday.

On Christmas, Ghajini’s worldwide box office collections peaked Rs. 32 crores in a single day! On the other hand Shahrukh Khan’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi made only 10 crores on its opening day as opposed to Ghajini’s 32 crores.Aamir Khan has beaten Shahrukh Khan at the Box Office.

Ghajini undoubtedly is the biggest hit of 2008.

Aamir has no idea what to gift Salman

In a recent interview with a radio station Aamir Khan wished Salman Khan a very happy birthday.

He says, “Today is Salman’s Birthday, I sent him a text full of birthday wishes early morning and I want to wish him a very happy birthday - Many happy returns of the day. I want him to be hale and hearty.

Actually I was thinking from last night- what should I gift Salman, which he feels is quite special to him and I haven’t got any ideas as yet.”

What do you think Aamir will gift Salman?

Taare Zameen Par Bags V.Shantaram Awards

Prestigious V. Shantaram awards named after legendary film maker V. Shantaram have some good news for Aamir Khan. His film Taare Zameen Par emerged a winner at the show.

Aamir’s lead actor of TZP Darsheel Safary won the Best Actor Award for the film. Aishwarya Rai received the Best Actress Award for Jodha Akbar.

The Awards confer three categories of awards to directors - Gold, Silver and Bronze to directors. Neeraj Pandey won Gold for his film A Wednesday, Aamir won Silver for Taare Zameen Par and Ashutosh Govariker won bronze for Jodhaa Akbar.

Neeraj Pandey beat Aamir Khan and bagged the Best Debut Director Award. Amol Gupte won the best writer award for TZP.

Farhan Akhtar won the Best Debut Actor Award for Rock On and Best Supporting Actor award went to Jimmy Shergill for his role in A Wednesday.

Aamir interviewd by illegal radio channel backed by Taliban

Aamir Khan apparently unknowingly gave an interview to a radio station which is illegal and is funded by Taliban, who get their money mainly from drugs.

He gave the interview on Christmas which was aired live on Vibe FM. The broadcasting area of Vibe FM is in Yorkshire, UK. The Radio Authority confirmed that Vibe FM does not have license.

Apparently the interview was arranged by a top Mumbai journalist. The news still has to be confirmed by Aamir Khan.

Ghajini Movie Review

Ghajini had broke all the records of advance booking in movie theatres. “The advance booking for the film is four times more than the record opening any movie has ever got, Khan said,” reports a Hindu. Switch on to any entertainment or news channel you will see or hear Ghajini. Its just all over the place. It is like Ghajini mania all around India. And as the movie hit the screens, the verdict is—-

SUPERHIT!!!!!!!!!! [Now stop wasting time reading this review… Go get the tickets! ]

Ghajini is a very powerful film despite all its flaws. It is a powerpacked blend of a solid concept and script along with strong film-making and of course the knockout performance of Aamir Khan - the very USP of the film. So all you people out there if you have even an iota of doubt whether Aamir Khan is No. 1 in India… Watch Ghajini. He is unmatched in the film. He leads the league of extraordinary actors in India. I would even go on to say that he is the Robert Di Niro of India.

There are several flaws in the script and the film but you would be too busy in the riveting story of the film, gripped by the suspense and thrill to notice them.”This is a breathless, exciting story, heart-breaking and exhilarating at the same time,” confirms critic Taran Adarsh. The film has resemblance in concept with Christopher Nolan’s Momento only in terms of the short-term memory loss of the protagonist. But the refreshingly different story-telling of master mind director A.R Murugadoss is what makes all the difference. He rejects the linear mode of story-telling and adopts the flash-backs technique to keep the viewer on the edge of his seat and his eyes hooked on to the screen.

Cinematography and screenplay are just brilliant throughout the film. All the action scenes have been brilliantly written and executed and so are the songs. I loved the way Behka was picturized and Guzarish is brilliant too.

Now coming to the best part of the film - Aamir Khan’s performance. There aren’t many adjectives in my vocabulary to describe how brilliant Aamir Khan is through out the movie. Can’t believe he is our same old chocolate boy of Qayamat se Qayamat tak. He is one actor who emotes with his eyes and body language more than his dialogues. The pain on his face when he cant remember things during acute short-term memory loss, the anger on his face and the blood in his eyes as he takes on the baddies in the film. Many critics believe this is Aamir’s career-best performance as he plays both vulnerable and hard with elan.

Debutante Asin, is fresh. She looks beautiful on screen and does her bit with sincerity of a debutante although she is a big star down under in South India. She has a bright future in Bollywood. Jiah needs to add more effort on her dialogue delivery. She needs a better stylist too. Pradeep Rawat is brutally brilliant in his villanous role although it is a bit old fashioned in today’s time.

Just dont miss this film guys…Its a worth watch. I watched it for Aamir Khan more than anything else. It worked for me. A must-watch for all the Aamir Khan fans out there.
Rating: 4/5

Jiah doesn’t mind being covered

Jiah Khan who wore only shirts and forgot her pants in her debut film Nishabd with Amitabh Bachchan is seen in different Avatar in Ghajini, where she is fully clothed.

She says, “No one’s seen me in my new look yet. I’m playing a medical student and I’m covered from head to toe for the most part. The role is amazing, so I didn’t mind being completely covered up. But I do have a song in which you’ll see a different look. It’s very stylish in a Jennifer Lopez kind of way.”

Ask her about her coldness with Asin and she says, I’ve met Asin twice and she’s a nice girl. I had my bit of fame when I made my debut in Nishabd. Now, it’s Asin’s turn as it’s her Bollywood debut.”

Well it’s good that she doesn’t believe in bygones.

Ghajini was not for Salman Khan: AR Muragadoss

Ghajini is getting appreciated all around the world for Aamir Khan’s knockout performance and Muragadoss’s superb direction. It is surprising to know that Aamir had initially thought Salman is the best person to do the lead role in Ghajini.

Murgadoss says, “Actually, when I was making the Tamil version of the film by the same name, it was Pradeep Rawat (who plays the main villain in both the versions and also happens to be Aamir’s close friend) who recommended that I approach Aamir to star in the Hindi version of the film.

However, at that time I didn’t take it seriously as I thought that Aamir was a chocolate hero, and, hence, he wouldn’t suit the role. But after the release of the Tamil version of the film, I got a call from Aamir himself saying he had watched the film and that he really liked it.

With the confidence that I got from this, I immediately approached Aamir to do the film. Aamir was a bit reluctant initially. I remember him saying “The perfect person for this role in Bollywood is Salman Khan”.

However, I managed to convince him saying that if Salman did the film it would be just another Salman movie. But if he did it, then it would give a different perspective to the film and story.”

He says Aamir left the entire film to him and did not interfere in his work, “Contrary to what you say, Aamir was not at all involved in the making of the film. Not even once did he ever interfere with the filming. In fact, he said that he wanted the film in entirely my taste and that if I had any problems with the language or anything else, only then should I call him in.”

Talking about Aamir’s perfectionism he says,

“For Aamir to be called as a perfectionist is seriously an understatement. He is so very observant and hard working, that rarely have I seen anybody like him. The dedication level that he has for whatever he does is insanely high.

Even to get into his much-talked about physique, he had worked out for 3 to 4 hours a day. I have worked with Surya who in the south is considered to be the best, but Aamir is way better than him…he is simply in a league of his own.”