Om Shanti Om Movie Reviews

OM SHANTI OM is truly a near 3 hour circus show in the offering. You get to see dozen odd item sequences one after another that tie the script together for a circus and turn out to be amusing and entertaining by themselves.

So here we go with the dozen odd item sequences/concepts and gimmicks which make OM SHANTI OM an entertainer that makes you visit a circus, be entertained for those three hours and come back home satisfied!

1) The 70s spoof concept - Over the top and on your face, OM SHANTI OM of the 70s is what you call as the light hearted take on the cinema made in the era gone by. Whether it is Shahrukh's filmy maa (Kirron Kher) who has prepared 'kheer' for her 'laal', the retro background score, those reds, yellows and greens color pallets on every frame, shooting of 'dakoo' films - they all come together to create an enjoyable spoof, though at places it does become a little repetitive.

2) Original 'Om Shanti Om' song and dance sequence from KARZ is a riot to see as the film's opening credits roll. For those who were not born in early 80s, it is fun to see the song on big screen with first Rishi Kapoor followed by Shahrukh himself.

3) Shahrukh Khan's South film star sequence brings the house down as it gives a very good idea about the kind of over the top films made in Tamil and Telugu during the 70s

4) References to Manoj Kumar's palm-on-the-face fixation and Govinda struggling to find work due to his surname being Ahuja are done in the right spirit and invokes laughter. Ditto for young Sooraj Barjatya who is shown to get references for MAINE PYAAR KIYA from the real SRK-Deepika love story.

5) Deepika's item song 'Dhoom Tana' with Sunil Dutt, Jeetendra and Rajesh Khanna. Though the concept is good and enjoyable as well, how one wishes the special effects here were truly flawless. The grainy look as well as limited appearance of the three superstars belies the hype.

6) Entire star son tantrums and demonstration of star power by Shahrukh Khan reborn is done with tongue in cheek humor. It takes courage for a superstar to have an entire second half dedicated as a spoof on himself but SRK does it in the right spirit. Watch out for those coming late on sets sequence, changing the script based on personal whims and incorporation of item songs to enhance film's commercial appeal!

7) Spoof on BLACK is oh-so-wicked and oh-so-timely. A film is being made which requires Shahrukh enact the role of not just a blind, mute and a dumb guy but also someone sans arms and legs. No wonder, he rightly mentions - "Is film se sirf award hi milenge"!

8) Filmfare awards sequence is the triple ace for OM SHANTI OM. This is one sequence which would get the repeat audience with quotes of stars during awards nite entrance as well as entire nomination sequence deserving a 20 out of 10. Watch out for every heroine's reaction of 'we are just good friends' for SRK, Big B's denial around the presence of SRK, Chunkey Pandey's 'I am the best' take, Sanjay Kapoor's witty hints, Bappi da's ever-ready-to-sing syndrome, Sanju baba's large heart and Rakesh Roshan's love for Hrithik act. Priceless! Also notable is Abhishek taking a dig on himself about his presence in DHOOM 5, Akshay's RETURN OF KHILADI sequence and SRK's winning performance atop the Swiss Alps. Truly rocking and worth the ticket's price.

9) Vishal-Shekhar composed 'Deewangee' is a riot and garners immense repeat value. Call it a publicity stunt, desperate measure, cheap trick or whatever, the fact is that 31 stars coming together adds so much 'masala' to the entire sequence that one wonders how would Farah Khan get something better in her next project?

10) Kirron Kher's take off on cine-maa Rakhi from KARAN ARJUN is fun. A perfect spoof, rather than being a 'dukhiyari maa', she is a 'filmy maa' here who is ever ready to get into histrionics as required by the moment. Watch out for her 'mujhe character mein ghusne de' moment towards the second half followed by a ghostly 'there is someone in the house' dialogue. Excellent!

11) The climax is a true take off on 'Ek Haseena Thi' from KARZ and Farah pays a true homage by even making Shreyas say - "You will make a KARZ like climax setting and expect the baddie to be scared?" The sequence which follows is grand and not just works as a spoof but also add to the dramatic quotient.

12) Last but not the least, Farah Khan even takes a spoof on herself as during the end credit rolls, she shows the plight of a director who holds an entire film together but hardly gets any recognition. Watch her walk alone on a red carpet with no one around to whistle and clap!

These are some of the many 'item sequences' which make OM SHANTI OM a film which would be talked about by many for one reason (call item) or another. Of course from the film's perspective, two actors who are going to benefit most are Arjun Rampal and Deepika Padukone. Arjun is a revelation as he plays an out and out negative character. If he is menacing in the first half, he is cunning and powerful as a 50 something Hollywood baron in his stylish do and impressive prosthetics. His coffee-house sequence with Shahrukh Khan is well done too.

On the other hand Deepika gets a dream lunch as far as getting into a commercial heroine setup is concerned. She enacts the character from the past as well as today while getting ample opportunity to be there from beginning till the film's end. Her tall persona works in her favor as she stands out in the frames. Shreyas Talpade is quite good in the first half as he seems to be completely oblivious to the star power of the man standing next to him. Kirron Kher is lovable while Javed Sheikh is decent. Debutant Uvika shows a glimpse of her body (talent as her on-screen mom Bindu calls) and is nice.

There have been item numbers and there have been special appearances. But OM SHANTI OM can well qualify as India's first ever ITEM FILM in itself. There are gimmicks abound but rather than just being publicity stunts, they turn out to be numerous tricks which are up the sleeves of director Farah Khan who along with her writer team of Mushtaq Sheikh & Mayur Puri as well as friend/producer/actor Shahrukh Khan spins a tale that keeps you thoroughly entertained.