Oh, My God!!

Oh, My God!! (OMG) is a film that bases itself on the premise 'be careful of what you wish for, lest it comes true'. Now, it's not a theme that hasn't been explored before. Bruce Almighty is just one of the many films that come to mind when you think of this genre. Yet OMG, quite unlike Bruce Almighty, refuses to entertain and ends up being such a drab, you feel like throwing eggs at the screen.

OH, MY GOD!! may not be the ideal multiplex fare, but it has its heart in the right place . Bt the film has been let down by the poor direction and screenplay ... cinematography and script is simply pathetic !!!!

'Oh My God' hasn't been seen by many & that's a shame, as this 2008 flick is actually nicely made. The performances are rich & the execution is simple, yet decent.

'Oh My God' Synopsis: An employee puts more time trying to get people to invest in a novel money-making scheme. Things turn upside down when God shows up...

'Oh My God' talks about human greed & how life should be led by being happy, rather than being greedy. The message is indeed good & the narrative remains interesting. It never gets preachy. The Screenplay works. Although, the first 30-minutes, when the story builds up, are a bit dull. Sourabh Shrivastava's Direction is simplistic. Cinematography is perfect. Editing is fair.

Performance-Wise: The Biggest Strength of 'Oh My God' are in its performances. Vinay Pathak is extraordinary as the common man, who wants to make it big in life with honesty.. He's real & affecting all through. Saurabh Shukla as God, is priceless. Rarely do we come across an actor as brave & uninhibited as Shukla. Divya Dutta is wonderful as Vinay's doting wife. Gaurav Gera, Harsh Chhaya & Mushtaq Khan are superb in cameos.

On the whole, 'Oh My God' deserves a watch.

With quality movies to his credit, Vinay Pathak sets the bar high for "Oh My God". And the movie fails to match his earlier outings.

Vinay Pathak gives his best shot to infuse life in each frame but since the basic premise is at flaw, there is nothing much to salvage. If Rajendra Dubey wants to be a la Dhirubhai Ambani why is he struck to his ideals/ principles knee-deep? A contrived character indeed.

Divya Dutta as usual delivers a good performance.

Harsh Chhaya:: Nothing special.

Saurabh Shulka:: Too much of "gyaan" should be avoided. And yes, didn't Big B have a similar getup in God Tussi Great Ho?

Yes, there was indeed potential to make a heart warming story common man's story but ends up "Oh, My God!"

When Saurabh Shukla & Vinay Phatak are cast members of a film, it ought to be funny, cheeky & strong. Oh, My God!! is no doubt a super-themes movie, but it falls down if we look at its monotone and screenplay.

Screenplay is very definitive, so to speak, but what a theme like this where fiction is juxtaposed into reality needs is a jovial ambiance & music. But, the makers put in light music. This makes the experience a tad underwhelming. A well-principled man sees his world going upside down when God tries to help him in getting richer.

The dialogs, the wits & the sarcasm involved from the Almighty's perspective of human beings is quite good. Divya Dutta is marvelous. Churning out a well-written story and a well-directed film, this would have been a sure-shot winner, had they made enough publicity.

BOTTOM LINE: Such stories are not told everyday and it strictly viewers' discretion that they choose these for their weekend fun. 6.1/10.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Nudity/Sex/Smoking/Drugs/Violence/Alcohol: No

OHH MY GOD- Don't miss it

Bhagwan deta hai par Dubey nahi leta hai. When I saw the poster of this film that I didn't know existed , that's the line that caught me. I wanted to see it , and that's the first film I chose to see amongst the four releases today. The film took me completely by surprise. I expected it to be all things funny and it was that and more. It is not a situational comedy, it is not just comedy , it is much more than that. It is complicated, it is many layered, it is a brilliant screenplay and I feel proud that someone put up the money for a film like this , in this country.

It is so unpredictable that when you are expecting it to make you laugh it takes you by your balls and twists it around. Then you think will it go into the Shallow Grave zone and it doesn't. it takes you where you are not expecting it. It does not solves problems of Dubey, it sorts him out. And Dubey, what a character created by it's authors. A man who idolizes Dhirubhai ambani, only film he chooses to take his wife to is Guru, he wants to be rich but does not want money he does not deserve. He constantly is having a dialogue with God, a god who wants to be rid of his monologues, a tired God, depressed God, who munches on chips and lollipop's, always eating , obese god , who is always cursing himself for what he has created, a God brilliantly played by Saurabh Shukla. His best performance yet. The to and fro between God and Dubey is not just highly relevant it's also entertaining.

A brilliant low budget attempt, the kind of film that heartens you and underlines the fact that our cinema is indeed changing. Apparently shot in 19 days. brilliant performances also by Divya dutta, Harsh Chhaya and Ghanshyam Garg. Do not let this film die, watch it . Must watch. Initially when it began the background score bothered me, the sound design was nothing but dubbed dialogues and background and it kind of was irritating, but then things like that go away when the story takes over, issues that we at PFC crib about like production values and cinematography, does not apply here keeping the budget in which it was shot at, but I am still so bloody happy that someone made it here. Kudos to Vinay pathak for another tour-de-force performance and also Saurabh Shukla, and hats off to another Saurabh, the shrivastava, wherever he came from, to make this, his producers and writers.

• Anurag Kashyap