Mid-Day Opinion: So, who played Ghajini in ‘Ghajini’?

Pradeep Rawat in ‘Ghajini’ (2008)

Soon as AR Murugadoss's Tamil film, Ghajini (2005), starring Suriya, Asin, became a hit, producer Allu Aravind decided on its Telugu release.

Only, the poster of that film had a "much huger cutout" of actor Pradeep Rawat, instead of the leads, "who weren't as well-known with Telugu audiences."

Rawat told me this, once, to add, "Whatever success, fame I'd found then, even thereafter, is thanks to SS Rajamouli's third film, Sye (2004)." He'd played super-villain, Bhikshu Yadav, in the sports-actioner.

Rawat wasn't the original choice for Ghajini. Prakash Raj had already signed up for the part, including the supposed "signing amount." As per Rawat, Raj had gone MIA since. The shoot commenced, until they could no longer carry on, without the villain's portions.

This is when Rawat was rushed over from Hyderabad to Chennai. It's only a month later, he realised, his first day's shoot was actually a screen-test that he'd obviously passed.

The veteran actor in 2024. Pic/youtube/@SiddharthKannanOfficial

I've seen the Tamil Ghajini, without subtitles. Which I hardly understand a word of, obviously - besides that the villain, i.e. Rawat, has a double-role, Ram & Shyam, while Ram or Shyam once speaks in Hindi, "Mujhe Calcutta jaana hai!"

It's unclear why this version's called Ghajini. Rawat says he never got to ask Murugadoss, either! Post its 2008 Hindi remake, Ghajini has become a metaphor/joke for someone totally lost, alluding to Aamir Khan from the film.

Except, Aamir's character (as with Suriya's) is named Sanjay. It's Rawat, who plays Ghajini in Ghajini!

Rawat recalled, "Upon Aamir's feedback on the script that led to a new, much-better climax, the villain's double-role got merged as well. That's how I got the title role."

Frankly, if there was no Christopher Nolan, there wouldn't be the Tamil Ghajini. I once asked Aamir, if he'd seen Nolan's Memento (2000) - he said no.

"I hadn't as well," Rawat said. What about Murugadoss, I asked Rawat. "He said no, too; but I don't believe him," Rawat laughed. That booming, garrulous laugh.

Likewise, if not for Rawat - perhaps, there wouldn't be the Hindi Ghajini with Aamir in it. Rawat said Murugadoss was keen on Salman Khan for the film's potential Hindi remake: "Given that Murugadoss could barely speak Hindi or English - and God knows what he'd tell Salman in Tamil - I felt Aamir would suit his temperament better."

Rawat chased down Aamir with Ghajini's print, over six months; who, in turn, "agreed to do the film, even before the end. Firstly, Aamir watched, only because he couldn't get himself to say no to my face!"

Aamir and Rawat had known each other since the latter played the villain, Sultan, in Sarfarosh (1999) that had, evidently, impressed the superstar.

They became playing-card buddies, along with the cast & crew, post pack-up, shooting for Lagaan (2001), in Bhuj. Aamir called Rawat, "Deva," from his character, in Lagaan.

And that's what Aamir screamed out loud, shooting the Ghajini climax, at a makbara, in Hyderabad. Rawat and Aamir were meant to land on a protective mattress to get off the frame in the said fight + chase sequence.

Rawat recounted: "I landed. Aamir didn't. I heard him screaming my name, from the pain. He had dehydrated his body so much for the ripped muscles, that his inner thighs were gone.

"He had to be taken on a stretcher, hospitalised in Mumbai, for three months. When the shoot finally resumed, Aamir injured himself, the same way, in the same scene, at the same location!"

Everyone remembers Ghajini for Aamir's mean machine-like body-transformation. Somehow, I recollect that line, where his tightly dressed Sanjay Singhania explains the difference between confidence and arrogance, in a public speech, "I can accomplish something? It's confidence. [If I think] only I can? That's arrogance!"

There wasn't anything of depth, otherwise, in the pure good vs evil, Ghajini - very unlike Aamir in the mainstream. It became India's first film to register footfalls worth over Rs 100 crore at the box-office.

Which made the bulky Rawat also among India's iconic, true-blue villains.

Especially, when heroes were getting into greyer characters, making the said product-category progressively redundant in Bollywood - what with Rawat and others from Mumbai, switching over down South, for the villain-roles.

Actor Mukesh Rishi, for instance, was once so busy with Telugu/Tamil movies that he ducked out of Deva in Lagaan - the role that Rawat bagged, as a result.

Rawat got his onscreen notice as Ashwatthama in Doordarshan's GOAT show, Mahabharat, that actor Smita Patil had recommended him to director Ravi Chopra for. He practiced theatre with Nadira Babbar's Ekjute Theatre Group.

Rawat has 160+ credits on IMDb - one of several well-known faces, without an equally well-known name. It feels surreal to hear him from my unreleased, 2022 podcast, "[I've spoken so much], I think you'll never invite me again," and that garrulous, booming laugh. Rawat (1952-2026) passed away, August 4.

Mayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture. He tweets @mayankw14
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