Someone is in love with Bollywood! Not Hindi Cinema, not Indian Cinema, plain and simple Bollywood. She loves it as it is, with all its quirks, melodrama and excess and this love oozes out even more in the end credits. Not that the movie is any lesser.
The best part about Om Shanti Om, which lacks in most of the films nowadays is its focus on what exactly it is set to do. This is a glorification of everything that is ’Bollywood’ and is super-entertaining to the last minute! Melodramatic mothers, ostentatious sets, exaggerated collars, eyeliners and hair and everything 70’s.
The spoofs on actors, film-makers, etc. are super funny! The scene with the tiger and Rajnikant is hillarious! Find it!Everything is just right, from the sets to costumes to the limit logic has been defied. In such a premise there was a danger of easily going over the top- be it the irrational, the sets and most importantly even the acting!
I had actually thought Shahrukh Khan would be over the hilt, since it was his arena completely. But he is super! Be it the funny, endearing Om in the first half or the spoilt, arrogant Om, again in the second. It is very sporting of him to actually play a joke on himself in the movie - perhaps he is at a stage where any damage cannot be caused at all. Nevertheless, one more great balanced performance from him. And yes I am a SRK fan, but the praise is undiluted!
Shreyas Talpade holds his own and is genuine and good. Kirron Kher is super-funny as the ever-so-melodramatic Ma. Arjun Rampal as a menace is stylishly good. And as for the leading lady, she has oodles of charm and an universal appeal and she only accentuates that with her performance. As the demure and lovely Shanti to the hip and starry-eyed Sandy, she is all set to take over the cinematic world by storm! I loved the way her bubble-gum pops and expresses!
It was great that I watched it in Liberty Cinema, Mumbai as the movie completely fit in. Infact it just seemed like Liberty converged into the sets of the Big Set of Om Shanti Om in the movie! Red drapes, dazzling chandeliers, golden sunrays ...
As for Farah Khan, she knows her craft well. She has made poonarjanam look so stylish and adapted the right elements from the 70’s and made all this relevant to 2007, especially when more movies are moving to intellectual pastures. But here is a movie that screams ’ I Love Bollywood ’ without any qualms! Its not intellectual, it is ’timepass’ but that is not to take any credit away from the intelligence with which this ’timepass’ has been made by her n all those whom she proudly shows off in the end credits- right down to spotboys. A Great and Loving Tribute to every quarter and everything Bollywood, truly!
Stay away if masala is not your taste. But if yes. then no need to keep your mind outside the Cinema hall, just watch and perk up your day !!