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Om Shanti Om - Moolah Peace Moolah
Choreographer turned director Farah Khan’s first venture Main Hoon Na came out in 2004 and was presented as a tribute to decades of Bollywood cinema. One could watch the film with amusement if one could muster enough forbearance for the director’s very passionate tribute to Bollywood. However, while her first film requested the audience’s indulgence, Farah Khan’s second film Om Shanti Om demands a greater sacrifice – of every bit of reason, intelligence and cinematic taste.
This film is about a junior artist Om (Shahrukh Khan) who along with his friend Pappu Master (Shreyas Talpade) dreams of making it big. He also adores the reigning heartthrob Shanti (Deepika Padukone) and risks his life to save her. But Shanti is secretly married to the villainous producer, Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal) and is expecting his child. She wants to go public with the relationship which does not suit Mehra’s scheme of things, so he murders her. Om dies trying to save her. But he is born again (with the same face and gets to have the same name and profession!) and avenges Shanti’s death. He manages to have his revenge with support from a Shanti look-alike Sandy (Deepika) and assistance offered by Shanti’s ghost.
This incredulously contrived story takes awfully long to unfold. The first hour is spent in long pointless sequences that look like they were only meant to showcase the clothes, hairstyles and well-known plots and mannerisms of films from the 1970s. The shallow and juvenile antics of Om and Pappu Master fail to tingle and the in-between syrupy scenes of Om and his mother (Kirron Kher) are no threat to one’s emotional equilibrium. After interval, the film tries to make up for lost time but repeatedly gives in to the temptations for item numbers. It seems the director had so many films to pay ‘tribute’ to, so many sequences to borrow that she found it difficult to maintain coherence and reason.
Bollywood formula films have long had the audiences under their spell and Farah Khan is not the only one wishing to recreate the magic of the previous successful films. But the important question is – were the old formula films only about formulas? Why doesn’t the formula plot from the super-hit Karz work in Om Shanti Om? Or why doesn’t the star-studded song sequence borrowed from Naseeb recreate the magic? This could be so because the best of formula films were made with a lot of faith and conviction. So the plots were improbable but tight, the melodrama was heightened but not plastic. The masala was enlivened with a spirit that was particular to their age. Om Shanti Om borrows the form but fails to create the spirit.
.
Om Shanti Om laughs at many Bollywood conventions, and yet uses these same conventions (without irony or self-consciousness) to structure and move itself. And it is in this particular sense that OSO lacks integrity. It artlessly and pointlessly puts together borrowed sequences and ideas and tries to pass it off as a tribute. This film is not a parody, for it lacks any meaningful criticism. The exaggeration of style and screenplay are not always meant to scoff at Bollywood formula films either. It is not even a fond imitation. The scenes cannot be homage to the popularity of this masala genre either, for they fail to create the magic of the original. The film could be a pastiche but for the fact that there is no logic to the borrowings, that it almost always falls short of both postmodernist intelligence and self-reflexivity.
It’s not only the film that tries to sell itself through its star Shahrukh Khan; Shahrukh too sells himself and his newly acquired six-pack abdomen through the film. Or what is the song sequence ‘dard-e-disco’ about? Despite the screenplay being single-mindedly dedicated to his character, Shahrukh does nothing new as far as acting is concerned, though one cannot fail to notice his lean looks and an effervescent & energized performance. Deepika Padukone doesn’t exactly dazzle with her performance but she is camera-friendly. Her studied movements and expressions tell you she has got the hang of things. Shreyas Talpade, as Pappu Master, does the expected as the hero’s side-kick (in recent years the mainstream actors have actively taken up the niche roles of vamps, villains and item number girls; now Shreyas, a mainstream actor, dons the role of hero’s side-kick!). There is no subtlety about Arjun Rampal villainous performance but that is perhaps taking a leaf out of how Bollywood villains are supposed to be. Kirron Kher has done better before but then such were her roles. A couple of songs in the film stand out especially the ‘dard-e-disco’ number, which has a very catchy tune with equally interesting lyrics. One only wishes it was not so forcefully placed in the film. Also, given the IQ quotient of the film, it was nothing less than a brilliant twist-in-the-end to have the ghost of Shanti appear and kill the villain (I was wearily expecting that Sandy too would be a reincarnation, of Shanti!). And there is this imaginative end credits sequence.
Behind the rich façade of a blockbuster film, Om Shanti Om is a lazy work, but a film that was nonetheless always assured of being a box office success (the previous review on Saawariya had noted with interest the failure of using time-tested Bollywood masala-mix approach to reach an assured success). Now that OSO is a success story, I can only hazard a theory on how such films do well (I will need several attempts to even come close to how the masala potion actually works) – audience need their dose of filmi entertainment, in which they need stars, and stars need to deliver the ‘masala’, which need to have all the ‘permitted and time-tested’ ingredients of high and low emotions, however delivered. And for receiving this prescription, the audience is only too happy to see the films for their moments, and move from one emotion to next, get their fill of laughter, horror, joy and sadness and somehow manage to put together the pieces of these absurdly incoherent films and arrange them in their subconscious into a one successful whole. In colluding with our filmmakers, our audience actually fulfill that great need of fiction cinema – to be able to suspend one’s disbelief. Only that our audience do it like no one or no where else in the world.
- Padmaja Thakore
44 Responses to “Om Shanti Om - Moolah Peace Moolah”
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what a carp… don`t u hav better things to do.. OSO is a huge hit..period..stop the hua ha abt it and move on… why judge someone else`s taste or preference against your one…Its sure u`ll always find uors better…big deal
This article SUCKS…OSO was a great film…
Get a pair of glasses next time you go to see a film. Deepika is the best newcomer as well.
You are such a crappy reviewer…sucks.:o
Huh ?
OSO is a great hit ! So were Dance Bars ! What satiates public cravings isnt necessarily meritorious by any standards.
But Padmaja, …spare the typing effort. Farah Khan is a choreographer. This film doesnt call for such evaluation.
What a hit film has got to do with a good film?
awesome review….after rangan bharadwaj at least one reviewer has put OSO in its true perspective….a dud of a film with a “dudlier” script….and that is one of the biggest hits of the year….along with “partner” and “heyy babby”….gives you some idea of the formula that is required to tickle the senses of the larger indian audience….
a very badly written review.. the author just ends up narrating the story verbatim rather than emphasising on giving her insights.. but i am more surprised at the first few comments/responses.. OSO is definitely not a great film by any stretch of imagination.. and just because a movie’s a hit it doesn’t mean that u cant pan it..
and the story is a take on bimal roy’s madhumati rather than karz..
OSO is serius timepass.. u need some intelligence to get that..
BTW its been shown at Berlin Film Festival!
some ppl need to get off their high horses of ‘intellectual cinema’ and just enjoy whats meant to be enjoyed .. oso was good fun
filmibhai…I do enjoy time pass movies too! I am a big fan of govinda movies also!
See, I found the first half of OSO boring…In fact it was dragging…especially the south indian hero stunt sequence, the mother’s over acting sequence etc etc…In the second half it was bearable and we actually could sit in our seats without squirming….But it was all stupid again…Just at that time this guy has to come back from hollywood and meet Om’s dad only!!! And if Deepika was such a top heroine of her time, this new Deepika, who is also a struggling actress , definitely someone would have noticed her likeness to Shanti Priya and papers would have carried articles about it! Yaar…Time pass hain…okay..magar audience ko chutiya banaya hain…bana rahe hain…banate rahenge….Jab tak filmibhai jaise chutiye log hote hain…
an interesting article on madness n method of srk..link..http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20071203&fname=Col+CP+Surendran+%28F%29&sid=1
machhar dont come to ur aukaat lol.. no need to use bad language
what a boring review of such an entertaining film ! , you saw the film so late doesnt mean that every one else hasnt watched it , you didnt had to write the whole plot here ! ..i dont know what you mean by “fiction” cinema , isnt all cinema fiction ? if its “non fiction cinema “, that will make it a documentary wont it?
and who said Karz was “super hit” , it didnt fare well when it was initally released and OSO isnt based on karz except for the reincarnation theme that they both share .
and Machhar deserves a bharat ratna for pointing out some script flaw in a harmless film ^:)^
i guess the makers was parading around using words like ‘homage’ ‘tribute’ et all nonchalantly..
either they have a bad vocabulary or they dont think much of the audience’s intelligence…
its a ’spoof’ - is what they should have said. that too a half baked on at that..
filmibhai then say its a harmless film….not a great film…
Also, whether its a small film, harmless film or a great film, logic should never be ignored unless you sell your project as a mindless film!
And I am sorry for having used such language..hope you forgive me…
no worries
ps i love govinda too especially dulhe raja :o)
some ppl need to get off their high horses of
^^ *yawn* .. whatever makes u happy
OSO is a half-parody! The first half is a tribute to the 70’s … Strange that several cheeky references to the old days went unnoticed by the author of this stupid post.
And the second half has several digs at the industry! Star sons and their childhood friends to item numbers to filmfare awards … Its intelligently done.
Amitabh Bachchan said in a mid-day interview that he was apprehensive that not many outsiders can understand the insider jokes in OSO, guess the author is one amongst them…
Even without knowing these … It is an entertaining film …
Sit with Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po
~o)
all of the digs are quite understandable….the issue is not with the digs…..the issue is that all digs and no story don’t make a good film…..the script of OSO is quite contrived….the problem with OSO is it takes the digs too seriously and that is why it strays from the path of being a good spoof and ends up as a half-baked effort at trying to please everyone……an example of how filmy digs and a storyline can make a watchable experience is “scary movie”…..
I dont understand the logic of enjoying a movie, without your minds on. A good laugh/action/whatever cannot be satisfying unless it is logical or at least appears to be logical. The fight scenes of Matrix looked illogical but it made sense as it was shown to have taken place in a virtual world. But putting the same fight sequences in Akshay Kumar/RajniKant/Mithun film and filming it in real world looks ridiculous. Same holds true for most of bollywood comedies or feel good movies as well. They have stopped making sense to me long ago and I dont watch them any more. I havent seen OSO, but what I could make out from the promos, it is no exception.
No logic means No Entertainment.
No one is saying tht OSO is gr8est of the gr8. I bet not even Farah Khan, SRK. Fun film, diwali season, joyride.
My personal problem is in reviews (like the one above) self proclaimed intellects (like the one above) shout
“Only that our audience do it like no one or no where else in the world”
My only question to u is Y DO U WATCH BOLLYWOOD MOVIES THEN? Isnt tht dumb of u to do so?
@9Parth
You are kidding, right?
No Machchar, its not even timepass, its a big waste of time to watch OSO. Haven’t seen such a boring movie since ‘Home delivery’! What the hell was SRK doing?!!! whatever little expectation I had from him (post Chak de) is gone now.
But I liked Kiron Kher in the movie. We knew that she can act well, now we know that she can overact as well.
omg, please don’t take the fun out of bollywood i beg you. this reviewer clearly missed the point of oso…and also apparently doesn’t have a sense of humor. jesus, lighten up!
oso is the crappiest big movie of the yr.
it has an embarrassment hidden as a storyline.
the jokes are so juvenile they would not have made me laugh even if i was retarded. every scene has been copied from every hit video on youtube.
seriously, if there was a genuine satire present in the movie i may have liked it. what fun??
this movie is an open insult on viewer intelligence.
watch how shahrukh proclaims in the movie that all he needs to do is a dard ka disco to make the movie a hit.
and look what rage that song became.
i can envision farah khan laughing at us all the way to the bank…
OSO was a fun watch to a certain extent.But even though Farah Khan pulled out all stops to make it a hardcore masala movie,something was missing because while most masala movies however contrived the plot may be never gets boring at any point.It doesn’t leave you squirming in your seat and even an intellectual moviegoer is able to sit back and enjoy it.But OSO i feel was a little too lazy especially in the 1st half.
I enjoy reincarnation movies.Karz,Kudrat and Karan Arjun(Coincidentally all Ks :P ) are all fun to watch even today however cliched the movies may be because the directors focussed more on the story than on the stars.Farah Khan unfortunately indulges SRK and Deepika a little too much and not the story that deserved it.It’s sad because even Main Hoon Na which was a pucca masala movie never bored me.But OSO’s 1st half was a real bore.The 2nd half however was worth watching which actually saved the movie
nice article,
its a hit film not a great or good film.
the onces who says its a good film, great film are the onces who must be great fans of ekta kapoors seriels.
Did somebody write oso and ’sense of humour’ in the same post? man! they don’t go together at all!
I think we all know that the commercial movie makers exploit the emotions of gullible public to make money (YRF??). I don’t have a problem with that as long as the paying public likes and enjoys it and they don’t discover they have been duped. And of course they have the choice to stay away from such films if they so wish. But what has really angered me about OSO is that it openly and shamelessly proclaims and shows by example that if you have a selling superstar and a sexy siren, then even if you shit on celluloid, not only will you get away easily, you will get its worth in gold.
Reminds me of a scene from a Dada kondke film I saw as a kid which has a camel that a swindler sells to a guy convincing him that the camel will excrete gold and the new owner walks behind the camel collecting his shit in a plate. Imagine shahrukh is the star camel, Farah the swindler and the dupe holding the plate is …
If people think that OSO was a good/gr8 movie with all the parody.. thn y not make movies wid all shekhar suman one liners and johny lever jokes….
grow up guys… OSO movie sucked…. definitely not worth the hype… it just got lucky bcoz saawariya dint do well and SRK marketed his movie…
all the songs were outof place… jokes were hardly funny….
we have many good quality cmedy movies in bollywood.. watch out for khosla ka ghosla, hera pheri…. we dont need an OSO….
OSO is an excuse in the name of entertainment.I used to have more fun when I used to watch those old MTv Filmi Fundas. As Padmaja mentioned, both the songs, Dard-e-disco and Deewangi look forced. Its so obvious that they were inculded just to pull in the crowds.
Btw, what was Mithunda’s caricature doing in the 70’s(during the premiere)? and whats with the OM on the reincarnated Shah Rukh hand as well ? What happens at the end? Arjus Rampal gets hit by the chandelier, the next scene has only Shah Rukh nearby. What happend to the media and the rest of them partying there? The ‘Ek Chutki’dialogue which appears in the Dreamy Girl movie and also in the OSO movie filmed to scare Arjun? To mention, there are a lot of flaws. All summed up by Farah, ” OSO is a tribute to the movies of 70’s ”
Wonder when she would stop giving this reason to come up with better scripts. She had a similar reason while filming Main Hoon Na too.OSO is strictly for people who have nothing better to do in life and this should have been included as a statutory warning during their extravagant marketing campaign.
I have no problem about OSO doing well, but its the way that it has been sold that it makes the entire process so shameful..
Farah Khan has gone on record saying that OSO is an entertainer, and those who go in for entertainment will love the film and those who go in expecting an “arty film” ( That is the term she often uses in her interviews) will not adore its texture..
All I have a problem with, is the sensibility of the filmmaker here. So she is saying is “What I give is entertainment and the exact antonym of what I am giving is “arthouse cinema”"…
What bullshit is that lady saying? Its that miniature space that she has defined to demarcate her so-called entertainers from her self-defined “arty films” that displays the cinematic sensibility of that woman.
Maybe her film to her is an entetainer. But that doesnt give her any right to define it as the alpha and omega of entertainers. Coz, preddy honestly it isnt. And the antonym on OSO isnt arthouse cinema. It could also be “sensible cinema”..
@P
loved that analogy =))
i dont see whats so “shameful” about it , they were confident of thier product and they marketed the film as an all out entertainer using all the means at thier disposal and delivered just that . it may not have worked for way but you should be open to the possiblity it worked for lot of other people who patronised it enough to make it one of the biggest hit of our times .
if only farah khan had loved her movie and no one else did then OSO would have sank without a trace after first weekend just like sawariya .
// dont see whats so
I haven’t seen OSO, but I’m sure the review above is true. Farah Khan is a choreographer and not a director. Her Main Hoon Na was a rehashed poor copy of a Karan Johar Film. As far as the film being declared a Hit, it’s not a surprise, shout from the rooftops that it’s a hit, release a thousand prints in the 1st week, collect trade figures of the 1st week and declare it’s a hit and vehemently deny it’s a flop by quoting collection figures.
Quoting “OSO is a great hit ! So were Dance Bars ! What satiates public cravings isnt necessarily meritorious by any standards.
But Padmaja,
shorter*
@Tushar..hold no illusions..OSO was and is a mass entertainer.PERIOD. Shahrukh himself has said so.
He has also said that it was a harmless spoof and offended no sentiments.
He wanted masses to enjoy his work. He got them to do that.
OSO is not the future of Indian cinema but one genre that may be attempted with more intensity in future by Farah and Farah like directors.
Indian cinema is spreading its wings. Shahrukh himself has attempted many genres
Asoka - Historical
CDI - Sports
OSO - 70s retro masala spoof
Paheli - Literary
Swades - Social Drama
He has succeeded in some, failed in others. But would you ever call them bad films as such.
Those films were also highly promoted by SRK. Only he did not get the fruit.
Look at Aamir. His Taare Zameen Par may not make him as much money as OSO. Probably, Taran Adarsh and others shall say that it is a multiplex film thus slotting the film wrongly. But, we know that it is a film that has to be seen!
The spread of cinema shall cross the typical filmy masses and reach out. Today it is CDI, Goal or JWM. Tomorrow it could be Halla bol or Dus Kahaniyan.
My happiness is that now there is room for everyone. Only, the promos and publicity should not fool the people!!
I remember the promos and publicity of Ameen Sayani on Radio Ceylon..that was gospel for everyone then. They were to the point and correct and so helped movies like Rajnigandha, Khatta meetha, Mili, Namakharam, Noorie, etc make their mark.
They say only tapori films or chiffon films will do well. Ask Vishesh films about the pull of Emraan Hashmi. You’ll be surprised.
Indian cinema has a huge range. Get the story and the marketing right!!
well…i relly find it vry odd how the s**t movie like oso can rock the box office….i think people likng oso need a good counsling…m sorry to say that but guys u all need it.