Shah Rukh and Aamir come together for ‘fair rights for Friday nights’ at 8:19 PM

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai, April 07: Bollywood has come forward with a united front to resolve the tiff between the film producers and multiplexes over revenue sharing. Advocating a partnership of equality, Bollywood biggies Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan spoke at length about the stalemate.

In a press conference at Mumbai’s JWT Marriott, Aamir spoke on behalf of the producing fraternity, saying, “It should be a partnership of equality. Fifty percent sharing is fair. Distributors and exhibitors have to find a way to make it a viable business within their fifty percent. Within my fifty percent I have to make it profitable.”

"This is one industry and we all can survive only when each sector will earn a healthy share. We are here to find a solution to this," added Aamir.

Supporting Aamir’s point of view, Shah Rukh Khan stressed on the point of utilising the press meet as a platform for finding a solution, rather than making it a power show.

He clarified, “This is not a power show. We haven`t gathered here to threaten multiplexes. It`s a show of coming together.”

True to his witty self, SRK quipped, “We are here for fair rights for Friday nights.”

Producer-director Karan Johar introduced the speakers and co-ordinated the meet. Apart from the superstars, industry veterans like Ronnie Screwvala, Mukesh Bhatt Ramesh Sippy, Yash Raj, Sandeep Bhargav and Karan Johar were also present, among others.

The tiff between the producers and multiplexes started early February. And after several failed discussions, the producers decided to go on strike. From April 4 they have stopped giving release rights of new big-budget movies.

The strike has given way to a dry-season where no movies are being released as producers have refused to release any new film. The year had a damp start with a majority of flicks bombing at the BO, hence making it a dark first half for the entertainment industry.

Aamir struck with 'prenatal depression' before 'Ghajini' release at 8:01 AM

New Delhi, The extreme tension he was undergoing prior to the release of "Ghajini" took its toll on actor Aamir Khan. A day before the film's Dec 25 release, Aamir went into "prenatal depression", losing his appetite, his sleep and walked around like a zombie.

"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," Aamir posted on his blog www.aamirkhan.com/blog Dec 24. 

"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," he wrote.

The actor also said filmmaking was a tough job and he was anxious over his performance in the Hindi remake of the original "Ghajini" directed by A.R. Murugadoss in 2005.

"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," he posted.

However, the mass promotionals took their toll on Aamir, and he was down with fever before the movie's release. 

"…the last couple weeks have been too hectic and as a result of the exhaustion and excitement I'm down with fever, so I am lying in bed as I write this," the actor wrote

We Khans are three idiots in the industry: Aamir Khan at 7:52 AM

As Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Ghajini vye to capture audience attention, it is once again the clash of titans at the Box-Office.

Both Shah Rukh and Aamir claim their right to stardom’s ace seat. But as far as Three Idiots which incidentally is what Aamir’s next film is called, is concerned the actor says the title should go to the three Khans of Bollywood.

“My next film Three Idiots will have me playing the character of an idiot along with Sharman and Madhavan but Shah Rukh Khan, Salman and I are the three idiots of the film industry,” Aamir joked on a tour to the capital to promote Ghajini.

The actor tried to avoid questions from the fans about the infamous fight between Shah Rukh and Salman. “Fight! how can I dare to fight with Shah Rukh. He is a very good friend and I have a lot of respect and love for him.”

Asin on Vogue at 2:14 AM

Southern star Asin shifting base to Mumbai at 7:27 AM

Mumbai, With several Bollywood projects in hand, southern beauty Asin Thottumkal is moving lock, stock and barrel to Mumbai from Chennai and has almost finalised a house in Bandra. What's more, her parents have given up their jobs to look after their talented daughter's flourishing career.

"I've been travelling non-stop. I had no time to look around and find a place. But now we're finalising a place in Bandra. Hopefully, by new year I'll lock in to the place. Right now we feel a little unsettled. In Mumbai, you desperately need your own home," Asin, who made her Hindi film debut with the just released "Ghajini", told IANS.

Asin's parents have moved from Chennai to Mumbai with her.

"Both of them gave up their jobs to be with me. Mom is a doctor. She has taken voluntary retirement. She manages my home now. And dad had seven business enterprises. He gave them up to look after my career. Right now I'm quite a handful and worth more than all his business ventures," she laughs delightedly.

Asin, who is a fun-loving and loves to talk, admits she was asked to keep quiet till "Ghajini" hits the screen. Directed by A.R. Murugadoss and produced by Allu Arvind, the film starring Aamir Khan in main lead was released Friday.

"The marketing team felt that I should maintain a distance from the press until the film's release. However, that didn't stop speculative write-ups about me. I read things about myself that I didn't know," she said.

Like feeling insecure about her co-star Jiah Khan?

"Is that really me? I've worked in South Indian films with female co-stars and never felt insecure. I worked with Nayantara in the Tamil 'Ghajini' without any conflict. Why would I feel threatened by Jiah?

"Was this a publicity strategy? It was being implied that I was somehow responsible for keeping Jiah out of the publicity. I don't know how one heroine can influence a huge marketing strategy," she said.

Jiah and Asin have no scenes together. "But we have of course met and we're very cordial with one another. We got along fine. I've had no fights with anyone in Tamil or Hindi cinema so far. All these stories of friction make me feel strange."

Asin also denies reports that she was under contract with the "Ghajini" makers.

"I'm under no contract. Didn't I sign 'London Dreams' while 'Ghajini' was being shot? If I haven't signed another film, it's because I haven't come across anything exciting. I was supposed to do Priyadarshan's film with Akshay Kumar, but that clashed with promotional dates of 'Ghajini'," Asin said.

She will be moving into her new home in Bandra in January.

"But even without my own home I feel at home in Mumbai. For one almost the entire unit of 'Ghajini' was south Indian. Most of them were people I had worked with. So we were constantly chattering on the sets in Tamil or Telugu. Except, of course, Aamir who was new to all of us."

"London Dreams" was much tougher.

"The total crew was totally Bollywood. So practically speaking 'London Dreams' is my first Bollywood experience. 'Ghajini' was easier than my second Hindi film 'London Dreams' where I had to start from scratch with the character. In 'Ghajini', my character remained untampered except the language. Here I was speaking Hindi instead of Tamil. Otherwise no changes," said Asin whose Hindi has always been good and she doesn't require any dubbing.

How different is Aamir from Salman Khan?

"While Aamir mulls overs scenes, Salman must be prepared from beforehand because you don't see him rehearse on the sets. But everyone in Mumbai is thoroughly professional."

100 percent collections for 'Ghajini' on opening day at 7:24 AM

Mumbai, Actor Aamir Khan's latest film "Ghajini" rocked the box office, taking in 100 percent collections across the country on its opening day Thursday, an executive of the movie's India distributor said.

Aamir Khan, who was present at the trial run of the movie at a preview theatre in Mumbai Wednesday, reportedly said that "Ghajini" has created a record by becoming the first Bollywood movie in recent times for which the tickets had been sold in advance for all five days of the opening week across the country.

According to trade reports, in view of the unprecedented audience expectation for the film, the multiplexes are asking the distributors to increase the number of prints. 

The decision in this regard has not yet to be taken. 

The movie has been released within the country with 1400 prints. Reliance BIG Pictures has released 213 prints overseas.

Meanwhile, "Ghajini" raked in Rs.70 million during 650 paid previews at multiplexes in India Wednesday. 

"Although the movie has not received uniform favourable reviews, the hype created around it has worked wonders and there is little doubt that the movie will turn out to be a superhit," said trade analyst V. Verma

Asin unveils Salman's painting of Aamir's Ghajini look at 7:21 AM

Mumbai, Asin, the leading lady of "Ghajini", Wednesday unveiled a painting of Aamir Khan's "Ghajini" look by Salman Khan here.

She showed no signs of tension about the uncertainty that prevailed throughout Wednesday afternoon about the movie's scheduled release Dec 25 as she unveiled the painting at the INOX at Nariman Point in South Mumbai.

The painting was special for her not only because Aamir is her leading man in the movie, but also because it was the work of Bollywood's painter of leisure, Salman Khan, who has created a life-like portrait of his colleague based on the "Ghajini" look.

She said she was "highly impressed" by the creative talent of the star "who can paint so well".

Asin, who makes her Bollywood debut with "Ghajini", is all set to create a strong foothold for herself in Hindi movies and Salman Khan is among the stars she may soon be paired with if everything goes as planned.

Madras High Court stays screening of Aamir starrer 'Ghajini' at 7:17 AM

Chennai/Mumbai, The Madras High Court Tuesday stayed the release of the much-awaited Aamir Khan-starred Hindi film "Ghajini", two days before it was to hit the screens worldwide after the producers of the Tamil film on which it is based filed objections.

Justice P.R. Shivakumar granted the stay after A. Chandrasekaran, the producer of the original Tamil film of the same name, filed a suit claiming that the producers of the Hindi remake had "fabricated documents to claim ownership over the remake rights". 

Senior Counsel A.R.L. Sundaresan who appeared for the petitioner told IANS: "The judge has accepted our plea that Geetha Arts and director A.R. Murugadoss had fabricated documents to claim ownership over the remake rights of the movie 'Ghajini', which our clients had not assigned at all."

"Our matter is not connected to any other matter in any other court," he said, referring to the Bombay High Court order allowing release of the film.

"Our colleagues have filed a caveat to meet any appeal filed during the winter vacation starting tomorrow (Wednesday) in view of the release that was scheduled on Dec 25 - which has now been stayed," Sundaresan added.

"Ghajini", a revenge saga, has Aamir Khan in the lead role and Asin plays his love interest. 

In the petition filed in the Bombay High Court, Mumbai-based K.B.C. Pictures had sought a stay claiming "Ghajini" infringed its copyright of a film being made by them on the same subject entitled "Kahani Ghajini Ki". 

Film industry circles say an amount of at least Rs.1.2 billion was riding on the Hindi remake.

Mumbai reports said earlier that Rs.140 million had been spent on the Hindi version's publicity alone.

According to the Hindi version's producer Madhu Mantena, various brands being endorsed by actor Aamir Khan have joined hands for the Rs.140-million promotional campaign, the costliest ever Bollywood movie.

"This kind of promotional campaign is necessary to create a hype around the film, so that more people become aware of its release," Mantena said.

Some brands associated with the campaign have come out with their new product lines. 

While clothing brand Van Heusen has already launched its new 'Ghajini' apparel, the mobile instrument and accessories' company Samsung has come out with two special edition mobile sets, L700 and M200. These two models are pre-loaded with 'Ghajini' ringtones, songs and pictures.

ghajini review at 7:14 AM

Cast: Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal, Pradeep Rawat, Jiah Khan and others
Director: A.R. Murugadoss
Rating: **1/2

"Ghajini" is a simple and straightforward revenge story, but Aamir Khan's bravura performance makes it an extraordinary watch. The film brings back the popular theme of the '80s and early '90s - revenge, romance, action and thrill with a nice touch of humour. 

Just like Christopher Nolan's "Memento", the past and present are juxtaposed neatly in "Ghajini" that has great action scenes excellently choreographed. Director A.R. Murugadoss maintains the thrill till the end. 

After playing a sensitive teacher in "Taare Zameen Par", Aamir goes for a role reversal in "Ghajini" and impresses as an amnesiac killer. His agility and ruthlessness in the action scenes make it a compelling watch. 

Now the flaws. 

In terms of script, the film has nothing new to offer. What actually plays spoilsport in the film is the romance sequence. Although love forms the basis of the revenge that the protagonist seeks, the romantic scenes are neither written properly nor executed convincingly. 

Also, Asin's character is not etched out properly and her acting skills are not impressive either. She looks good in a few scenes, especially in song sequences.

Comparatively Jiah Khan, who has a sizeable role, does a better job as a medical student. She looks quite hot in the "Lattoo" song. 

Sanjay Singhania (Aamir), a businessman tycoon who owns a cellular phone company named Air Voice, falls in love with Kalpana (Asin), a struggling model who fabricates a story that she is dating Sanjay in order to get big offers though she has never met him. She goes to the extent of giving an interview about her relationship with Sanjay to a magazine. 

Irritated by Kalpana's lies, Sanjay decides to confront her. On his way to meeting her, he sees a young girl (who happens to be Kalpana) helping handicapped children. At the studio he is pleasantly surprised to realise that Kalpana is the same helpful girl he had seen. He chooses to hide his identity. 

Thereafter Sanjay keeps meeting Kalpana and their romance blossoms. He never reveals his true identity. The two decide to get married.

Meanwhile, Sanjay has to go to London on some business deal. While he is abroad, Kalpana saves a group of young girls from flesh traders led by the don, Ghajini (Pradeep Rawat). When Ghajini comes to Kalpana's house to avenge the loss and embarassment, incidentally, Sanjay too arrives. 

Ghajini kills Kalpana and injures Sanjay with a heavy iron rod that causes him to lose his memory.

Apart from Aamir's admirable performance, the film's editing and music are excellent. 

The film is good in bits and pieces. There are several loopholes in the film and scenes that leave many questions unanswered. The director takes an easy way out by not detailing the scenes. 

Undoubtedly, Aamir is the highlight of "Ghajini", and it is worth a watch for his sake.

Aamir gets set to shed the macho look at 5:34 AM

 Beating King Khan’s record by pumping two extra abs, Aamir Khan is now gearing up to shed the 8-pack macho look and return to his original cute boy frame.

The actor, who underwent months of training and sweated his guts out to don that killer sculpted shape, is now working equally hard to do away with that raunchy appeal. As against his earlier regime where he breathed every single breath working out, this time round he is keeping miles away from the gym.

In order to reduce his bulk the actor has taken on his favourite sport Badminton instead. “I had put in all my efforts to build the body. But the look was for a film and now that its shooting is over, I don`t want to remain that way. I know that that there is a trend in our film industry for heroes to sport six-packs, but I don`t intend to follow any”. 

Looks like Aamir can get rid of his six-pack abs but there is no getting away from his poke fun wit. 

Jinxed Ghajini’s December 25 release cleared; court lifts stay at 5:25 AM

Mumbai, Dec 24: The Madras High Court on Wednesday lifted the stay on the release of Aamir Khan’s much-awaited flick ‘Ghajini’, on the condition that its producer will pay Rs 5 crores and 50 percent of the profit made from the remake to A Chandrasekaran, the producer of the original Tamil film with the same title.

The order came after a special hearing and clears the way for the film’s release as per schedule on December 25.

On Tuesday, the HC had stayed the release of the film after A Chandrasekaran filed a suit claiming that the producers of the Hindi remake of ‘Ghajini’ had "fabricated documents to claim ownership over the remake rights". 

The film has already drawn crowds to the theaters recording the biggest ever advance booking. Industry experts say that an estimated amount of at least Rs 1.2 billion is riding on the Aamir Khan starrer flick.

Aamir`s ‘Ghajini’ is a remake of AR Murugadoss` Tamil film ‘Ghajini’, starring Surya, Asin and Nayantara. Murugadoss and Asin are part of the Hindi adaptation as well

Like Aamir, I'm also quite a perfectionist: Asin at 5:17 AM

New Delhi, Aamir Khan's perfectionist attitude often sends jitters down his co-stars' spines. But southern beauty Asin, who is set to make her Bollywood debut with Aamir in "Ghajini", says she had no issues matching up to the superstar as she too always settles for nothing but the best.

"People often call Aamir a perfectionist and a tough taskmaster, but I didn't have any problem matching up to him because I'm also quite a workaholic. We gelled quite well as far as the demand of perfection was concerned. Even I like things to be the best," Asin told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

Just like any other girl her age, 23-year-old Asin has been a huge Aamir fan.

"I have always admired Aamir and have enjoyed his movies 'Lagaan' and 'Dil Chahta Hai' and also loved 'Taare Zameen Par'. I have danced a lot on 'Dil Chahta Hai' songs with my friends," she said.

After working with the superstar, she says he is unlike what the media and industry project him to be.

"Shooting with Aamir was great fun. He isn't as serious as he is projected to be. He is highly dedicated to his work but is very cool and easy to work with. He's a simple person, very genuine and frank about his opinions despite having such a good stature in Bollywood," said Asin.

The actress, who was brought up in Kerala and debuted in Sathyan Anthikad's Malayalam film "Narendra Makan Jayakanthan Vaka" in 2001, also starred in the Tamil version of "Ghajini" released in 2005. It was in this film that she received her second South Filmfare Award for best actress.

Asin has been kept away from the promotions of the Hindi remake thanks to Aamir's knack for keeping his cast away from the media prior to the release. But she is nonchalant.

"I have not felt overshadowed by Aamir's publicity at all. Actually, I'm not used to all this really because we don't have it in the south film industry. The marketing team for 'Ghajini' has its strategy to promote the film in the right manner. If Aamir is promoting the film in the north, I am doing it in the south," she said.

Besides, Asin believes publicity is something that would only bring people to the theatres. Liking or not liking the film is in the viewers' hands, she said.

According to her, though audiences down south have already seen and appreciated the original "Ghajini", they would surely revisit theatres for Aamir's charm.

"Aamir has got a huge fan following and he is the highlight of the film. In fact, since a lot of people down south have seen the Tamil version of the film, they will now probably come to theatres just to watch Aamir.

"I have no issues about that as 'Ghajini' is the story of Sanjay Singhania, played by Aamir. So the fact that his presence is being highlighted is completely justified," said Asin.

As of now, the actress is "excited but anxious" of how her "new audience" will react to her performance when "Ghajini" hits theatres worldwide.

Her next Bollywood release after "Ghajini" would be Vipul Shah's "London Dreams" in which she stars alongside Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. She is also a part of Walt Disney's multi-lingual project "19 Steps" and would be sharing screen space with south Indian superstar Kamal Haasan and Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano.

Court stays Aamir’s ‘Ghajini’ release after Tamil producer’s objection at 6:47 AM

Mumbai, Dec 23: The Madras High Court has stayed the release of Aamir Khan’s much-hyped film - ‘Ghajini’. The producer of the original Tamil ‘Ghajini’ objected to the film’s release, and applied for stay orders. Bollywood’s last and most awaited film for this year has now been put on hold.

Aamir Khan, the producer of the Hindi remake, is in a fix about the release date, which was scheduled to be this Christmas. The objection of Salem A Chandrasekaran, producer of the Tamil film, came as a surprise as the adaptation had been amicably agreed upon by both the Hindi and Tamil filmmakers in the past. AR Murugadoss, the director of the Tamil ‘Ghajini’, is also the director of the Hindi remake.

So far, producer-actor of the film, Aamir Khan, is unavailable for comment, and further information about the release date is yet to be announced.

‘Ghajini’ in Tamil language was a 2005 release, and it won over Aamir Khan with a tight, thrilling plot that revolves around the mysterious murder of an innocent girl. Asin, the heroine, is also common in both the versions. The film promised some high-octane action sequences, and Aamir donned a tough, eight-pack look for the same.

Amitabh Bachchan is No 1, says Aamir Khan at 6:37 AM

New Delhi, Amid the war of words between the three Khans - Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman - the "Ghajini" star Aamir has declared that it is none other than superstar Amitabh Bachchan who is still the number one in Bollywood.

"For me Amitabh Bachchan is No 1. Do Lata Mangeshkar, Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan say they are number one? No one who sits on the top needs to say he is number one. Others keep claiming to be there," said Aamir.

Recently, Shah Rukh sparked a controversy by proclaiming himself the biggest brand and saying there cannot be any competition with him.

Commenting on that Aamir said: "I don't believe in competitions with others. I only compete with myself."

After a phase of cold war with his contemporary Shah Rukh, Aamir says he can't dare to fight with him.

"Do you think I could dare to fight with Shah Rukh. He is a good friend and so I can't fight with him. I respect him a lot," said Aamir, who was in capital over the weekend to promote his forthcoming film "Ghajini".

The actor, who was is town giving his fans the “Ghajini” cut at an event, was in a jovial mood but tried his best to avoid queries about his cold war with Shah Rukh.

He joked that by turning into a barber for a day, he was even promoting Shah Rukh's next venture “Billo Barber”. 

His antics did not just end at that.

Aamir's forthcoming ventures is titled “Three Idiots” and the actor said the title should be rightfully given to the three Khans of Bollywood - including himself, Shah Rukh and Salman.

“My forthcoming film after 'Ghajini' is Rajkumar Hirani's 'Three Idiots' and I play the character of an idiot with R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. But I think Shah Rukh, Salman and I are truly the three idiots of Bollywood,” Aamir said.

He also cast a dig at Salman when he asked the crowd whether they want him to flaunt his body that he has toned up especially for “Ghajini”.

"Who wants to see my eight packs?" he asked. But when there was a loud “Yes, we want to” from the audience, Aamir said: "Only Salman can show his packs. I can't do it. It's not my cup of tea.

Ghajini' - a man's pursuit of vendetta at 6:32 AM

New Delhi, Having already created a flutter with Aamir Khan's haircut and eight-pack abs, A.R. Murugadoss' action-thriller "Ghajini" is all set to scorch the screens when it releases Thursday.

"Ghajini" is the Hindi remake of Murugadoss' award-winning 2005 Tamil hit by the same name. Aamir has teamed up with Asin, who was also in the original, in the much-awaited film.

" 'Ghajini' is an action film, but it has a lot to do with human emotion. It's actually a beautiful love story. I hope the audience loves and enjoys the film. We have worked very hard for it," said Aamir.

Aamir and his team painstakingly sculpted those eight-pack abs.

"It took Aamir 13 months of workout, with a daily regime of about four hours, to achieve the next-to-impossible look for 'Ghajini'. He used to get tired exercising and sometimes even used to shriek in pain and cry doing the stomach crunches, but he did not skip a single day. Every week his body used to show results and that kept him going," said Satyajit 'Satya' Chaurasia, who trained the actor for the film.

The story revolves around Sanjay Singhania (Aamir), a rich businessman and the events surrounding his relationship with a model, Kalpana (Asin).

However, what is drawing the audiences to the theatre is the unusual plot according to which Kalpana is murdered by a goon and Sanjay is hit on the head by an iron rod when he tries to rescue his beloved.

Though Sanjay survives the blow, he suffers short-term memory loss. At any given time, he only remembers what happened in the last 15 minutes, though he has stark visions of Kalpana's murder.

The rest of the film is about how he teams up with a medical student Chitra (Jiah Khan) and goes about finding the goons responsible for Kalpana's murder.

Aamir's rigorous workout for 13 months in the gym to achieve the muscular look for "Ghajini" and his buzzed hair look has already become a rage among audiences across the country.

"Ghajini" has a longer story to tell than is considered healthy for multilplexes. The action-thriller's playing time of three hours makes it the second-longest film of the year after "Jodhaa-Akbar". But the producer is unperturbed.

"It's not the length. It's the performance. You could have a really boring two-hour film. On the other hand you could've a really gripping film that's three hours long," said Madhu Mantena, who also co-produced the super hit Tamil version of "Ghajini" with Alu Arvind.

ghajni wallpapers at 6:27 AM

Spoilsport SMS reveals 'Ghajini' climax at 6:25 AM

New Delhi, Just when the audiences started queuing up for booking their tickets for Aamir Khan-starrer “Ghajini”, a chain SMS started playing spoilsport by revealing what could possibly be the climax of the film.

“Someone killed Aamir's girlfriend and he lost his memory. Then he tries to find out the killer. Suspens... Aamir himself is the killer. Now enjoy 'Ghajini'!” says the SMS that has been doing the rounds on the mobile phones for the past few days.

Whether the SMS is true would only be clear once the film releases Thursday. However, several people have received this SMS through known as well as unknown sources.

Says 22-year-old Surbhi Pant: “I received this SMS a few days back. I was very irritated after reading it because I wanted to watch the film. Now I don't know if it is true or not. Just in case this is the story of the film, I would be really disappointed, as I know the plot now. Eventually, I thought I should forward it to all my friends.”

The film is the much-hyped Hindi remake of director A.R. Murugadoss' Tamil hit with the same name. 

While the original "Ghajini" featured southern actor Surya Sivakumar along with actress Asin Thottumkal, Murugadoss cast Aamir to play the main lead in the Hindi version and repeats Asin in female lead.

“Ghajini” is the love story of a rich businessman Sanjay Singhania (Aamir) and a model Kalpana (Asin). The story takes a U-turn when Kalpana is murdered and Sanjay suffers temporary amnesia due to a brain injury. Sanjay's character sets out to take revenge from those responsible for Kalpana's death. 

While in the Tamil version of “Ghajini”, Sanjay finds the murderer and completes his revenge by killing him; the ending has been altered in the Hindi version.

Writing lyrics for 'Ghajini' was tough: Prasoon Joshi at 6:09 AM

New Delhi, He broke away from clichés in lyric writing and gave listeners sensible words to hum with songs like "Ladki kyon" and "Taare zameen par", but adman-turned-lyricist Prasoon Joshi says it was tough penning words for the Aamir Khan-starrer "Ghajini".

"Writing lyrics for 'Ghajini' was not an easy task simply because I was working on a thriller for the first time. The genre was something new for me and very different from my previous films," Joshi told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

"The first thing I had to do was to get into the groove of the film. That took me a little bit of time. Once I understood the pace of the film, I started writing the lyrics," he added.

The lyricist, who has worked with A.R. Rahman previously, teamed up with the musician yet again for the film and says it was a wonderful experience like always.

"I have worked with Rahman in many films and I can say that he is a very chilled out person. We cannot meet daily, but we share a great rapport and mutual understanding, so it's always great teaming up with him. I feel at home while working with Rahman," said Joshi.

So which was the most challenging number in the album?

"Without a thought the most difficult song in the album has to be 'Behka behka'. Most importantly because Rahman does not follow any set structure when it comes to making a melody.

"At some places the song is very fast so I had to use appropriate words to match the tempo," he explained.

"Ghajini", which stars superstar Aamir Khan and south Indian actress Asin, is set to hit the screens Dec 25.

Joshi, who is currently associated with McCann-Erickson, has been behind various successful advertising campaigns including Coca-Cola, Cadbury and Close-up.

In 2001, he took up a parallel career as a lyricist with the movie "Lajja" and later went on to carve a niche for himself by writing the songs of "Hum Tum", "Rang De Basanti" and "Fanaa" among others.

Asked how he managed two careers, Joshi said: "I don't work with people who want me to write instantly. I have parallel careers so I need time to pen lyrics for a film. I mostly work in films when I get sufficient breaks from my advertising responsibilities."

Joshi admits that sometimes the workload is so much that he isn't able to spend enough time with family.

"Definitely you have to compromise on family time and you can't afford to be lazy. I've never done anything at the cost of anything else. So I make sure that my advertising work doesn't suffer because of my film commitments and vice-versa," he added.

Joshi has also been part of various non-film albums with songs like "Ab ke sawan", "Man ke manjeere" and "Dooba dooba" among others. But his contribution to the non-film segment has been diminishing over the years.

"It's not that I don't want to do a non-film album. I love doing albums because I get more creative freedom and there are no constraints or limitations of the storyline.

"But the problem is that the market for private albums is shrinking. People now are more inclined towards film music. So that's why I now try and find my expression in Bollywood songs," Joshi said.

With "Ghajini" songs becoming chartbusters, the lyricist's career is surely on an upswing. His upcoming projects include "Dilli 6" and "London Dreams"

Aamir Khan turns barber, gives fans the 'Ghajini' look at 6:02 AM

New Delhi, While many star struck men and boys visited salons to get the perfect "Ghajini" cut, two lucky fans got their hair buzzed by Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan himself at a market in the capital.

"Quite a lot of people are getting this 'Ghajini' haircut from various places, so I thought I will give the cut to some of my fans myself. I felt very light when I got it done - there was no need to comb my hair after the bath," said Aamir, who gave hair cut at Bengali Market in central Delhi as part of his promotional activities for "Ghajini". 

Aamir gave the hair cut to Shamshir, a hairstylist, and Shivek, a grade five student in the presence of a huge crowd.

"I felt very nice when Aamir cut my hair for me. It's like a dream come true for me. I was waiting for him since five in the morning and I will definitely watch 'Ghajini' on the first day," said Shamshir after his 15 minutes of fame.

While Shamshir was keen to get the nearly bald look, Aamir took special care before snipping Shivek's tresses - he took permission from Shivek's father before cutting his hair. 

After doing his bit as a barber, Aamir said that it was a fairly simple job.

Several others were craving to sit on the hot seat, but the actor couldn't oblige all his fans. But he compensated by singing a few songs including "Guzarish" from "Ghajini".

Apart from adults, children were present in huge number at the event. Some of them sat and stood on their parents' shoulders and shouted "Aamir bhaiya, Aamir bhaiya" until they managed to establish eye contact with the star. 

Four-year-old Kavya came with her father just to catch a glimpse of the star, but managed to reach his arms when Aamir said he was keen to give the "Ghajini" look to a woman. Kavya was the only one sporting enough, but Aamir didn't quite want to spoil the little one's soft hair.

Lots of other kids came with autograph books, but returned dismayed because of multiple barricades and heavy security. Others came equipped with cameras and were busy taking Aamir's pictures and videos.

About "Ghajini", Aamir said: "It is an action film yet deals with a lot of human emotions. It is a beautiful love story."

Aamir has teamed up with south Indian actress Asin and Jiah Khan in the film.

Aamir and I share an extremely cordial relationship: Shah Rukh at 3:29 PM

Mumbai, The cold war between the two reigning Bollywood Khans, Shah Rukh and Aamir seems set for a thaw with Shah Rukh appealing to everyone to watch Aamir's film "Ghajini" that releases Dec 25.

A day after proclaiming himself the biggest brand in the country, Shah Rukh, in an apparent change of heart, said at a press conference: "I appeal to all to watch 'Ghajini'." 

He was speaking late Thursday at a press conference to introduce to the media the lead actress of his latest release "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi", Anoushka Sharma.

Shah Rukh said: "I want all the people to watch 'Ghajini'. We as people from the industry know how much pain it takes to make a film. We wait anxiously every Friday to see the result of our hard work that we put in to make a film."

"So my best wishes are with every film be it 'Ghajini' or 'Chandni Chowk To China' or any other movie. I want every film to do well," he added.

Shah Rukh said: "During the time when we talk of unity and wish to stay united, we should pray good for everyone."

Rubbishing reports of his rivalry with Aamir, Shah Rukh said, "We share an extremely cordial relationship."

Citing an example, he said when they met at a party recently they were discussing doing a film showing their six-pack abs.

"I was scared as I lost my six packs and wanted Aamir to say no. Luckily, he said he has lost his packs too, so let's give a chance to some other actor," Shah Rukh quipped.

About Aamir, he said, "I think he has changed himself well over the recent period of time. Previously, he did not like to interact much with the public and the media, but now he interacts well and has also developed a sense of humour."

On the inclusion of "Rab Ne.."'s script in the Oscar library, he said, "It feels good as now Indian film scripts are getting recognition in the West."

He said Indian films suffer from lack of good screenplay writing. "The main reason is that we do not have good schools to teach it," he said.

"Screenplay is a science, which needs to be taught where one needs to say many things in least possible words," he explained.

Shah Rukh pointed out the need to change the style of writing screenplays in order to get recognition in the international market.

"Our stories are too lengthy, full of songs and dances which makes it unacceptable for the international audience. So if we change the style and be more compact in story telling our work will be more accepted internationally," he added.

Shah Rukh also lauded the media for their efforts of covering news and being the bridge between stars and the audience.

He said "Initially, I used to be quite embarrassed by the questions being asked by the media as a few were very personal. But later, I realised those questions were not to embarrass me but they really wanted to clarify certain things, which was in good taste."

"Media guys are true to their work as I am to acting," he remarked.

On Wednesday, he said "Rab Ne Bana De Jodi" is doing well and there is no threat to his film from "Ghajini".

"There cannot be any competition with me. I'm the biggest brand in the country. I am always there to endorse for everyone, but the saddest part is that no one is there to endorse for me as there is no brand bigger than me," Shah Rukh said at the launch function of Filmfare magazine's latest issue.

Reacting to Shah Rukh's statement, Aamir said: "He has been speaking about himself for last 20 years so there is nothing new about it."

Aamir is aggressively campaigning for "Ghajini", which will release Dec 25, and the ushers of the multiplexes, where Shah Rukh's film is running, have adopted Aamir's Ghajini-hair style to promote the action-thriller.