Om Shanti Om (2007)

This review is coming more than a month from the release of this movie. But, how does it matter when Deepika Padukone is still fresh in memory with her Ajab si adaayen. Honestly, I went to the movie to watch her. Long ago, I had predicted that this babe would make a big entry into films. Well, a debut with SRK! How bigger can it get? This Deepawali had two major releases, King Khan and Farah Khan’s OSO and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. Most newspapers drew comparisons between these movies, some on story, on the débutante lead actresses, track record of directors, songs, so on and so forth coupled with aggressive marketing campaigns.

OSO starts with the story of a junior artiste Om Makhija in the 70s deeply in love with screen sensation Shantipriya. Both become friends after Om saves Shanti from a fire accident on the sets. Both die in exceptional circumstances and Om is reborn again, this time as superstar Om Kapoor 30 years later. Om realizes his past and sets out for villain Mukesh Mehra in his quest to uncover the secret of his past lover’s demise.

Till the interval, Farah Khan did a great job on recreating 70s cinema. Two comic sequences, one on Manoj Kumar and the other on a mock Tamil film shoot are hilarious. While being a parody on the movie industry of those days, in many ways, OSO pays tribute to many cinematic moments, such as those of rebirth with the Om sign, group dance sequences, bell bottom pants, etc. The best stuff stops here.

The second segment dwells too much on SRK’s stardom and the story somehow loses focus. Deepika’s role is too limited. But here, villain Arjun Rampal as steals the show. The best of the comic sequences is the Award ceremony with many star cameos. The clips of nominees that is shown there is worth the watch. The end too is very filmy. End credits follow Farash’s style in her first films to show her entire crew. That was sweet.

Non-SRK fans may not really like any praise that I say here. But, one must admit that this great guy has amazing star power, all acquired on his own! There is no dull moment in OSO. Ah, and what do I say of Deepika, she’s just awesome! Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade and Kirron Kher have done great. The music too is captivating. If you haven’t seen this movie, I would say it is worth it for its entertainment value.