Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Remake-of-a-remake copyright!

Breaking News! The release of Ghajini has been stayed by the Madras High Court. (I thought the name of the city was changed to Chennai – But that’s the Indian Judiciary for you.)

The entire release planning of this movie has been so carefully choreographed (I chose this word over orchestrated) by Aamir Khan that this major gaffe seems totally out of place. Aamir Khan has suddenly captured TV airtime through Samsung and Tata Sky plus ads. He is currently on top of everyone’s mind! Literally! Even Asin has crawled out of the woodwork and started appearing on Tanishq ads. All this is part of a greater plan.

This forces me to think that this is yet another ploy to whip up some controversy prior to the launch of the movie on 25th December. It is entirely possible that this matter is resolved and the movie launched in time. 

“KBC Pictures” (Kaun banega champu Pictures?) is the name of the production house which has filed a suit against the Aamir Khan “Ghajini” and claims to have the “original remake copyright”. The movie they are producing is called “Kahani Ghajini ki” (Not Kahani Ghajini Ghajini ki – That would have been a giveaway!). NDTV also claims that they have an Amitabh Bachchan look-alike in the lead role. (KBC Pictures – Amitabh Bachchan look-alike – co-incidence?) Is this a stink bomb? All part of the carefully choreographed release planning? It certainly seems so. If it is a prank, it is a poor one! 

What is laughable is that the Indian Judiciary is a part of this entire fiasco of original copyrights of a remake, of a remake of the original Christopher Nolan movie – Memento! Don’t they have, like a backlog of some 400 million cases? That’s irony for you! 

Frankly, I have had so much “Ghajini” thrust in my face in the last one month – I feel like I have seen the movie already! Aamir Khan has just stopped short of dragging me by the nostrils to the nearest, overpriced multiplex. This is all leaving a bad after-taste. 

PS: There is also a sms doing the rounds claiming to reveal the ending! Will there be more?

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