Want to watch a thorough entertainer with ample doses of
Bollywood masala.Then OM SHANTI OM is
the right choice. Director Farah Khan has caught the pulse of the audience with her film. The theme of
reincarnation in OSO is loosely inspired by the block buster of the 70s "Karz". Then there are shades of Karan Arjun,Madhumati,Kudrat..etc etc..
The film opens with Subhash Ghai directing Rishi Kapoor ,while filming the dance of the famous song" meri umar ke..om shanti om" in Karz .Convincingly edited and mixed scenes from karz with
Shahrukh Khan dancing among the junior artists prepares the viewers for the first half set in the 70s. SRk( omi) madly adores superstar Shanti (
Deepika Padukone ) and leaves no stone unturned to grab her attention.But when he does it is too late, as he learns from a heated conversation between Shanti and her husband, producer Mukesh Mehra (
Arjun Rampal ).Shanti had been secretly married and is pregnant with his child.She threatens him of ruining his plans of making an expensive film if she is not accepted in public.He takes her to the opulent sets of the film and kills her by putting the whole set on fire.In his bid to save her Omi is killed but is reborn as the reigning superstar Rajesh Kapoors son.
Cut to the present ,30 years later,OM is now the egoistic,paparazzi hunted celebrity whose tantrums and demands are often oppressive. He has the film fraternity dancing to his whims and fancies. After a chance meeting with Omis mother ( Kiron Kher) and a visit to the charred remains of the old studio (where the ghost of shanti still lingers) , visions of his previous birth zooms into his mind. He meets his old firend Pappu (Shreyas Talpade) and mother ,and wow..they accept him unconditionally as their Omis rebirth.
Then begins Oms saga of resolving the mystery of his own and Shantis deaths.In this he is helped by Shantis look alike ( Deepika again) an aspiring actress.Together they lure Mukesh to restart the film project which was scrapped when the sets were burnt.They recreate the sets and the same sequence of events preceeding Shantis death. After some plotting,a haunting melody and ghostly interventions the drama reaches the cresendo with revenge taken and villian punished by the dead Shanti herself.
The audience gets to be nostalgic about the golden era of
bollywood and can watch the glitz and glamour of the industry along with its mud slinging and back slapping. Costumes ,hairdo and backdrops of the 70s have been well replicated. The actors with their exaggerated acting ,imitations of Manoj Kumar, &references to the Barjathyas all provide comic relief.To pep up the second half ,Farah Khan has roped in 31 big names of the present,as Oms colleagues sharing his joy of winning an award and dancing with him to the song "Om shanti om.."
Shahrukh has shed some of his cliched mannerisms and makes a smooth transition from one era to the other. There are no confusions with numerous subplots or unnecessary characters.Most of the shooting has been done on grand sets and Farah for a change does not take us to any exotic locations.
Vishal -Shekhar can claim the music they composed to be their best so far with scores like " dhik thana" reminiscent of the old songs . This song has scenes from old films of
Jeethendra ,
Sunil Dutt etc superbly edited and morphed with Deepika dancing with them ."Dard e disco" displays SRKs sculpted body and six pack abs. No song is out of place and is in tune to the content of the story.
But the dazzling plus point isDeepika with her effervescent , youthful beauty and histrionics matching King Khan.
All in all its a true Bollywood extravaganza well directed , well edited and presented to be a huge hit. Watch it without searching for any morals or reminders of social commitments .