His simple gait was something that was unbelievable in the wake of Ghajini’s super success

Had it not been for his pictures clips in the newspapers and interviews on the small screen, I would have mistaken him for just another ‘boy’ in the crowd. His simple gait was something that was unbelievable in the wake of Ghajini’s super success. Dressed in a simple blue T and jeans with a ‘no-hang-ups’ attitude and body language, he looked one from the crowd. And one wondered why. Perhaps, if he could’ve just worn that gold watch or chain, or had walked around with an air of no-apology...God! That would’ve made the tedious task of spotting him (when he’d be standing right beside you with a ‘bear-hug’ smile) so much easier! But guess some things remain unchanged forever…hmm…well, much like Kiran Rao’s cute round glasses, maybe! When surrounded with people, it can actually get very difficult for one to spot him, I realised-such is Muruga Doss’s, the director of Ghajini’s ‘dainty’ build. We managed a tête-à-tête with him. Excerpts. So how do you feel now? With a huge smile-“Well, nice…very nice. We are glad the film’s done well in the initial days itself. We hope it will continue to do very well in the coming days too.” You look too young for this kind of stupendous success. How old are you? “I am 31”, he said, I thought, almost shyly. “I had directed the Tamil version when I was still younger, so…” Now that the film has released and registered a huge box office collection too, there are varied reactions coming in from the junta. While some have out rightly liked the film, some have doubts about it being flawless, like most of Aamir’s other movies. Was it just wonderful marketing that might maybe, fizzle out in the coming days? If it had just been for marketing, then one wouldn’t be able to explain the success of the Tamil version. It’s a film that people have liked and that’s why we are even talking about it becoming a huge hit. There seemed to be some silly goof ups or ‘creative liberties’ taken in the film, people say. For example why does Ghajini, who anytime is glad to pick up the gun and blow off heads, doesn’t pick up the same when he needs it the most?? There are many such instances in the film. We wanted the audiences to have the feeling of watching a ‘raw’ fight. The moment guns come in there isn’t much rawness left in the fight. Hand to hand fight has a certain thrill that can never be achieved with guns. We wanted to see the audiences on the edge of their seats, holding their breath with every blow that transpired between the hero and the villain. What next? I am working on a script and plan to start work soon. Would you want to continue with the same genre, action, now that you have seen success in it, or are you open to venturing into unknown forays too? In fact, I think I’ll next make a comedy”, he concluded gleefully before taking leave and becoming one with the ‘crowd’…yet again. By Moni Bhushan