A dish best served cold

For many months now, I have been waiting eagerly for Aamir Khan's next release - Ghajini. The wait is almost over. I have seen the Tamil original and from Aamir Khan's (now-defunct) blog I understand that the weakest link in the movie - the drawn out ending and "surprise" element - has been discarded. His blog also gives an interesting insight into how Aamir thinks about the roles he chooses.

When I was offered GHAJINI I didn't take it very seriously as I'm not usually keen on remakes. But when I saw the film I really loved it. I did not like the last 30 mts of the film but despite that the film had worked for me. I was not sure that I shoiuld do it as I had a problem with the end of the film, also I was not sure that it was my kind of film. (...) On the script level while we have stuck to the Tamil original for the most part we have made changes to the villian track, and have changed the last 30 odd mts of the film including the climax.

(...) While discussing the film I expressed my doubts, I felt that maybe I was not the right actor for the film. He (Surya) just brushed aside my doubts and insisted that I was the right person for the Hindi remake. But what sealed it for me was my meeting with the director. He is a really spirited young director and I was very impressed meeting him. He has a really nice vibe around him and a very sharp instinct towards his work. Importantly, when I expressed my reservations regarding the end of the film he did not hesitate in seconding that he too was not very happy with that portion, and that in the remake thats the portion that he felt we needed to rework. Having made sure that we were on the same page and feeling a great amount of comfort in Murgadoss I went ahead with my decision.

(...) For those of you who have asked me why I don't have any problems doing a remake of a Hollywood film..., its NOT a remake. Watch both films and see for yourself. In my opinion this is a GENUINE case of 'inspired from', and nothing beyond that. Murgadoss has written a completely different and original screenplay and he should get the due credit for his work.

The previews look good and I hope I can see it on a big screen around Christmas. Until then, trailers like this will keep me going.