Om Shanti Om

Reincanation, Hindi cinema, love, betrayal are some of the themes Farah Khan's delightful and crazy comedy Om Shanti Om deals with. But frankly, it never really matters. This film is simply one of the most entertaining films made in recent times. A spoof of Hindi cinema of past and recent times, the film both pokes fun at it and celebrates its unique, inimitable style. As the story progresses the movie becomes even more alluring. It is at times a drama, at times a thriller, but generally it is just a musical comedy which is not to be taken seriously.

Technically the film is very impressive. Farah Khan's direction is very good. The film is extremely colourful, with great costumes and fantastic, glossy sets. The 1970s settings are particularly authentic and visibly well-invested. One more aspect which helps to recreate the magic and the atmosphere of the 1970s is the wonderful soundtrack. "Dhoom Taana" for instance seems to have been rightly taken from a film of those times.

The film contains numerous sequences which will have you floored. The Filmfare Award ceremony is one of the funniest sequences in the film. The red carpet scene with celebrities predicting the winners was very funny. The next scene which includes the ceremony and the Best Actor nominations clip was absolutely hilarious. I could not stop laughing as every nominee was unfolded, and Abhishek Bachchan and Akshay Kumar's reactions when they lost were awesome.

The following sequence was the after-party which was another memorable scene. The famous "Deewangee Deewangee" song which has some of the best-known actors in India dancing to its tunes, from Dharmendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Rekha and Shabana Azmi to Salman, Saif, Juhi, Urmila, Tabu, Kajol, Rani and Preity, was very exciting and a pleasure to watch. It was truly a moment of unity and celebration for Hindi cinema.

As far as acting goes, Om Shanti Om is a winner. Every actor understands the film's mood and acts accordingly. Shahrukh Khan is great as the Oms. He's simple as the first Om, cool as the second Om, and overall is as witty and funny as always. Deepika Padukone makes a confident debut. She is very beautiful and likable. Kirron Kher shines in another comic role as the loud mom. Shreyas Talpade delivers a noteworthy performance as Om's best friend and holds his own despite a smaller role. Arjun Rampal plays the typical villain with style.

Well, to sum it up, Om Shanti Om is an extremely enjoyable flick which should provide a great watch for the entire family. Like Farah Khan's previous offering with Shahrukh Khan, Main Hoon Na, this film has a genuine sense of fun. It is the quintessence of Bollywood's uniqueness which makes us realise why and how much we love this film industry. Remember not to expect anything serious or life-turning, and you will not be disappointed.

probably one of the most hilarious movies and I guess the best spoof ever made in Bollywood....Farah is not scared of showing Manoj Kumar, Dev Anand and Sooraj Bharjatya in bad light....this is what the new age bollywood movies should be...bollywood is slowly adapting Hollywood style of spoofing characters and movies (check scary movie series or epic movie)...but this movie is far better than the western counterpart....

coming to performances SRK has delivered another master performance... though not in the likes of Swades, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and Chak de, it still would rank amongst his better performances...Deepika is camera friendly and looks sexy...she has also acted well considering that this is her first Hindi film..she is pretty confident in front of the camera..Kiron kher is excellent as over the top filmy mother...Shreyas is a revelation and is improving a lot...Arjun too has come up with a good performance...the movie could have been better in terms of direction/editing (second half) but the performances and spoofs make up for it...

'Might wanna include some fresh drinks with that. That's what 'Om Shanti Om' provides in a huge dose. No not the fresh drinks, but the entertainment. I had seen Farah Khan's last flick 'Main Hoon Na' and didn't like it but 'Om Shanti Om' for me was very enjoyable. I liked it's colourfulness and its not taking itself seriously. In short, it's a spoof of Bollywood.

The main plot itself is cleverly inspired by 'Madhumati' and 'Karz' and further you'll see situations that mock Hindi films of the 70s and Hindi films of today. There are numerous famous actors who make fun of themselves. The Filmfare sequence with Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, The Bachchans, Shabana Azmi were all lol hilarious. There are several such moments which make you feel as if you're under the influence of Novocain (I mean that in a good way).

The songs are of the hummable and foot-tapping kind, most of them spectacularly picturized. I liked how the 'Deewangee' song was filmed as it included most of my favorite actresses like Shabana Azmi, Juhi Chawla, Urmila Matondkar, Tabu, Kajol, Shilpa Shetty, Rani Mukherji etc. Tabu certainly looked the best of the lot. She was drop-dead hot. Of course there was also the funny sequence where Shahrukh danced with Mithun Chokroborty. However, the song may have been a little too long and perhaps Farah could have cropped it out a little by not including some bad actors. Oh well, she probably didn't want to be rude.

Shahrukh Khan is very good as the Oms. One might argue that he overacted in the second half but, in my opinion, he was merely spoofing himself and other Bollywood actors. Kirron Kher too is a treat to watch and she provides some of the LOL moments e.g. when she's spoofing the 70s Bollywood mom or as the 'crazy witch' who saw a ghost. Shreyas Talpade, though cast in a supporting role, holds his own and does nothing short of a great job. Arjun Rampal impresses as the evil villain. I was wondering what happened to this actor after delivering an amazing performance in 'Moksha' and now it's good to see that he's back in form. 'Hope he doesn't get typecast as he plays the bad guy very well. Deepika Padukone is a decent débutante. I liked her as Shantipriya (she looks great in the traditional Indian outfits than the Western stuff) but as Sandy she didn't impress me much (she didn't have much to do anyway).

Farah Khan and Shahrukh Khan probably had a lot of fun in the making and they've certainly made something for all of us to enjoy. This is one of the better 'masala' films to emerge from Hindi Cinema in recent times. As long as you're not expecting any serious film that will alter your life and go see it with the intention to have fun, you won't be disappointed.

We knew all about this-didn't we?

OSo is not a crossover movie, it is not anything path breakingly original(It is heavily inspired from Karz, the concept is), it does not have anything particularly refreshing in terms of story or screenplay..etc.. Yet- OSO succeeds, and that was what Farah and co were gunning for this Diwali.

Srk is back to his old ways -this is a 'true blue' SRk movie, he does all that he is a master at- plus the latest addition or attraction- his bronzed 6 pack!

Does he succeed? Its very simple- For people who adore Srk in his regular roles, will lap this one up too.

For someone expecting a Kabir Khan (Chak De) maybe a tad disappointed.

Om Shanti Om is in the league of Main hun Na- in terms of cinematic sensibilities. Its just pure fun woven around a story, but never getting too deep into it. Characters are a bit sketchy, plots get a bit contrived, and clichés abound everywhere, yet this movie passes the litmus test-because it is all about the timing too.

Its a perfect package for Diwali - an entertainer and Srk-the country's' biggest brand(arguably)-the combo wont fail.

I am not exactly delving into the story, for most people know what is needed. Yes, its is a bit of a tribute with a zany sense of humour to the 70's, you see the bell bottoms are back, the sideburns, flowery shirts, as the 1st half of the movie is entirely in the 70's.(Srk as the bumbling and goofy Om Makhija)

And yes its about reincarnation, following the lines of Karz, Srk being the victim(and also Deepika). Srk is reborn as Om Kapoor now- a hot cool dude and a big shot in Bollywood. It is quite predictable hereon, the twists are few, but well crafted. I just wished the buildup was stronger, the meat in the climax was missing.

Finally- The movie does fit the bill of a good entertainer- Paisa Vasool, will be liked by young and old, I wont be surprised if this does turn out to be the BO winner of the year. Songs are hummable, Dard-E-Disco being a lot of eye -candy(for women). Srk will attract a lot of 'drools'.

And the title song with 31 stars is fun too!

The minuses being just that- it could have had more substance to the characters and the climax a bit more thrilling.It seemed like it ended too soon suddenly. And also some more meat to the 'motive' of Deepika being bumped off by Arjun.(Rampal)

Performances-Its familiar territory for Srk, believe me its a role which of course was just written for him, though the 2nd half-Om Kapoor seemed a bit clichéd. His dying sequence compares to his previous movies-will get the audience's empathy. Deepika is pretty and emotes well, not really a lot of meat in her role, but shes quite effective. Kirron Kher Hams, but shes still adorable, she manages to do that with ease. Shreyas Talpade was an interesting choice as Srk's pal, does that with consummate ease.

And my award would go to Arjun Rampal- a out and out 'cool negative' role, very suavely done. Its one of his more noticeable performances.

OSO- as mentioned is predictable, and yet fun, it works well for people who want a 3 hr reprieve!Its not what I can call 'Miss not' but still is the best of the current lot.

I'm an American, and have not seen very many Bollywood films -- Three Idiots, Saariwaya, and one or two others in passing -- but I know a spoof when I see it. This movie was a romp -- overdone theatrics, over-the-top musical numbers, and lots of wink-wink-nudge-nudge allusions. Actually, I probably missed most of those -- but I got enough of them to keep smiling all the way through. Nicely plotted, plenty of really good catch-lines, and warm-hearted at the core. I especially like the end credits, where crew members and the usually faceless support people did a kind of 'red carpet' appearance, to the applause and cheers of the mob. Great bit at the very end, where the director/writer got out of the tuk-tuk for her moment, and everybody was .... well, no spoilers here. Just watch the film. Well worth your time.