SARKAR RAJ - FEATURING THE FIRST FAMILY OF BOLLYWOOD

After dishing out the immensely forgettable AAG featuring the Big B as the crass underworld don, RGV is back at doing what he does best - presenting a dark, political thriller.

Aishwarya Rai plays Anita, a no nonsense businesswoman, who wants to set up a power plant in rural Maharashtra. Her sole objective - profit. Abhishek Bachchan as Shankar, is the only one who seems to truly comprehend the necessity of her project for the state. His sole objective - development.

The entire plot is built around this power project - an apt reference point for the "power" plays of vested interests in politics.

The first half belongs to Shankar. Cool as a cucumber (except one scene where he bursts out at a mob), he goes about fulfilling his dream project, using his brain or brawn as & when required. His righteous approach wins over Anitas' admiration, but, in the process, also earns him a lot of enimity.

Big B takes over in the second half & plots the downfall of all his detractors. A steady stream of characters keep the interest & suspense going till the Sarkar divulges all in the penultimate reel.

Pros: a taut script, impeccable performances, dialogues ("jaan lena jurm hai, par sahi waqt par jaan lena - rajniti") & the true objective of all characters revealed in the end.

Cons: too serious, painfully slow & predictable at times & zero comic relief.

Verdict: 3* - Not as great as Sarkar but definitely worth a watch.

GHAJINI - A PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION THRILLER

SUMMARY

A medical report on Sanjay Singhania (a.k.a Aamir Khan) - a patient suffering from Anterograde Amesia (Short Term Memory Loss) - interests a final year medical student Suneeta (a.k.a Jiah Khan), & what begins as inquisitiveness, entangles her in a violent saga of REVENGE.

The first action sequence introduces us to the world of blood & gore where Sanjay Singhania brutally murders a horrified goon in his quest for the elusive GHAJINI (ferociously played by Pradeep Rawat), &, through the use of photographs & reminders traces his way to his own home. Reel by reel the audience is exposed to the sequence of events that transform a young, successful corporate honcho, deeply in love with a simple, vivacious, kind hearted girl - next - door, Kalpana (a.k.a Asin), into a merciless killing machine. The love story, a set of incredibly exaggerated but well narrated events, has quite a few hilarious (like Kalpana spinning a yarn of her love - at - first - sight experience with THE Sanjay Singhania whom she has never set her eyes upon, or, Sanjay tutoring an imposter to behave like himself) & touching moments (Kalpanas' idea of capturing the first step of the couple entering her new home) that keep the audience engaged & guessing as to when Sanjay would divulge his true identity to Kalpana. The couples' life turns upside down when good samaritan Kalpana rescues a group of girls from the clutches of Ghajini Dharmatma. Ghajini & his henchmen brutally kill Kalpana & greviously injure Sanjay, which leads to him developing Anterograde Amnesia & leaves him with one motive in life - kill Ghajini & avenge Kalpanas' death. What follows is a blood bath which culminates with the gory end of Ghajini.

Superlative performances from Aamir Khan (last years' school teacher from Taare Zameen Par convincingly essaying the roles of a chocolate hero & a one man demolition machine with murderous rage whose memory only lasts for 15 minutes) & Pradeep Rawat ably supported by Asin & Jiah Khan make this fairly lengthy flick immensely watchable, though I would not recommend it for the faint hearted or family audiences, especially kids. Kudos to the director, Mr. Murugadoss, for presenting a time tested revenge saga with an absolutely fresh feel. The music is foot tapping at best, one of the more forgettable compositions by A. R. Rehman.

VERDICT: Go watch it!

RATING: 4*