First day first show, OMG !

The crowd, the hysteria and the cheers !!
2007 Diwali will be definitely remembered for very long time, courtesy - Om Shanti Om. It was fireworks full of stars on the screen and above all the shining moon - Shah Rukh Khan. Let’s clear few things first; Om Shanti Om is good combination all previous re-incarnation blockbusters like - Karz, Mehbooba, Karan Arjun and specially Madhumati regarding the climax. It has everything to make complete Bollywood entertainer - Stars, Music, Melodrama and mainly script. Undoubtedly, Om Shanti Om will be one of the blockbusters of the year, if not the biggest and credits - Shah Rukh Khan. Yes, I am the same reviewer who bashed Chak De India.

A cinema is not just for enlightenment, which these days most directors are trying with realistic cinema. I am not against them, good job if they can portray current society problems and present some logical solution for it or at least raise buried questions. But with mix and max of numerous potboilers item numbers, unwanted skin shows, not so funny vulgar zero logic comedies have ruined almost all of latest bollywood movies. In an attempt to copy legendary movie makers (like. Hrishi Da, Basu Da) they give us movies like No Smoking. Neither commercial, nor art, what was in that movie!

Directors have forgotten what the purpose of the cinema was in golden seventies - just ENTERTAINMENT.

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika, Shreyas Talpade, Kiron Kher

Rating:

You don’t go to cinema to learn physics or to hear yet another politician bragging about Nation. You spend your hard earned bucks to get entertained and that’s what Om Shanti Om delivers. Complete Entertainment.

Forget your logic brains, get ready to swirl along with Farah Khan and her magical world of re-incarnation melodrama in Man Mohan Desai style.

The making of Darde Disco

The movie begins with a film studio and there works Om (Shah Rukh Khan) - a junior artist. Om’s whole family had been junior artists, though he had dreams to make it big one day in Bollywood and win Filmfare award for best actor some day. He along with his friend Pappu (Shreyas) had been working in the industry for years, only thing that is driving Om Prakash Makhija… (oh.. ya its funny surname … Makhija) to meet his dream girl - Shantipriya (Deepika). On the premiere of Shanti’s movie Dreamy Girl, both Om and Pappu goes to the red carpet wearing rented suits, expecting Shanti’s presence. With few crooks, Pappu even gets an exclusive pass (of Mr. Manoj Kumar) to watch the premiere. Then and there Om gets awed by Shanti’s look. During one of the shooting, where Om plays Daku’s role (juniour role), Shanti gets entangled between the fire. The supposed hero gets scared to save the heroine and its Om who saves her from the wildfire maze. From there their friendship begins. Om lies, that he is also some kind of south Indian star and even invites her to one of his fake south Indian movie shooting. Actually it was very funny shooting.

The friendship between Om and Shanti was just about to turn romantic; the big twist in the story comes. Mukhesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal) who is well known as producer of Shanti’s movies is actually Shanti’s husband which is not known to public and Om gets to know about it accidentally. It was not all that but Shanti was even pregnant with Mukhesh’s child. It comes as shock for Om, his dreamy world gets shattered.

The making of Om Shanti Om

Even Mukesh seems happy to hear the good news and consoles Shanti that soon they both will give that good news to whole world. As soon as they complete the forthcoming big movie that Mukesh is producing - coincidently it’s titled ‘Om Shanti Om’. Mukesh had lifted heavy amount for that money, and was also having affair with one of the studio owner’s daughter. He had something else in his evil mind. One day Mukesh takes Shanti to the grand sets of ‘Om Shanti Om’ and tells her soon they will get formally married on the same set, Om was also following the couple and reaches on the same set but no ones sees him. While talking with Shanti, Mukesh makes it clear his intentions of killing Shanti and how she had caused him so much loss. He sets fire on the set trapping Shanti within that set. While Mukesh was leaving the set, Om sees him. She sees his Shanti burning within the set. He tries to help her, but Mukesh’s henchmen forbid him. Anyhow Om manages to enter the set, but it was already too late, much of the palace had already burned down and both of them were already trapped in the fire whirlwind. Finally upon a huge blast, Om gets blown out of the set on the road. On the road, while he was trying to get up he gets hit by one of the biggest star’s car of 70s - Rajesh Kapoor.

At the hospital, while Rajesh Kapoor’s wife was undergoing the child delivery process, Om was undergoing operation. Unfortunately, Om cannot be saved. While Rajesh Kapoor’s wife gives birth to a son - Om Kapoor. Cut to 30 years later. Om Kapoor (Shah Rukh Khan) is none other than re-incarnation of Om Prakash Makhijaa. As he was film star son, he was also a film star. Arrogant, stubborn star and only fear he had was with fire.

Which even he doesn’t know why ?

During one of his shootings, he is taken to same old 30 years before burned sets. He gets deja vu feeling. While roaming within those wrecked building, he starts seeing blurry images of past - Shanti and Mukesh quarrelling, and he even sees himself silently looking those quarrels. Mind blowing script!

Later during a filmfare award function when he was about to make his appreciation speech he starts to remember his past life. He just blurs out everything that he had practiced 30 years ago in his past life. Pappu, who was his then friend also now believe he is same old Om. Om returns to his past life mom (Kiron Kher). Now Pappu and Om plans to punish Mukesh Mehra (who has grown old and is still producer in Hollywood movies and renamed as Mike) for the guilt he had committed. Om meets Mukesh Mehra (or Mike) and insists Mukesh to make movie on 30 years old script ‘Om Shanti Om’. Mukesh gets bit disturbed, but Om insist hard and finally make him agree to make that movie.

Now the search for heroine begins, who looks just like Shanti. After numerous auditions finally Om gets Shanti’s look alike - Sandhya (Deepika) aka Sandy. Om puts full effort on training Sandy to make her look like Shantipriya. During Muharat of ‘Om Shanti Om’ too Om plays tricks on scaring Mukesh by giving Mukesh hint that Shanti’s soul is still roaming round those burned sets. On the trail show of the movie also Om scares Mukesh by showing Sandy’s clips. But soon Mukesh realizes that Om was using some duplicate look alike artist to scare him off, but he doesn’t know why he was doing all this.

On music launch of ‘Om Shanti Om’, Om tries various methods to scare Mukesh and make him confess about the murder he had committed. So that it could be taped and bring him to justice.

Om calls Mukesh to the function, where he still tries to scare Mukesh using Sandy as Shantipriya. But suddenly during the function one large chandelier hits Mukesh and he becomes unconscious. Upon recovering from it, in the hall it was only Om & Mukesh in the function. As per plan, Sandy was supposed to come to scare Mukesh. But Mukesh tells he already knows Om has been using Shanti’s duplicate to scare him. Soon Sandy appears on the hall, and she starts talking about how Mukesh killed her. Om tries to tell her to stop, as Mukesh already knows her identity. But she goes on telling, how Mukesh came later on the set after burning it. Till then she was alive and later how he buried under the hall floor alive. That was something even Om didn’t know. Even he had thought she got burned in the fire. How did Sandy know all those stuff?

Suddenly Mukesh brings up revolver, fearing that Mukesh might shoot Sandy, Om jumps upon Mukesh. The fight begins and during quarrel while Mukesh was about to kill Sandy, Om shoots Mukesh on his leg and was about to kill him. But Sandy stops Om and say he will get killed by hanging big lamp above the ceiling. She just looks on the ceiling and it falls. Suddenly, Pappu and Sandy appear from the hallway doors.

Now Om realizes it was not Sandy who came in the function enacting Shanti, but it was Shanti herself (or moreover her soul). He just stares at her while she moves out smiling upon him.

Kahani Khattam !

After long time, we get to see an escapist cinema full of entertainment. Farah Khan perfectly blends happiness and sorrow in this melodrama. Her direction is A-one. Likewise this might be one of the best edited movies of the year. You don’t feel a bit bore during complete two and half hours. Cinematography too perfectly captures director’s vision. The first half has lot of laughter along with twists in the story. While second half packs full of surprises. The 31 stars song - Deewangi, SRK showing his six packs - Darde Disco… rocked the theater. Specially 31 star song, one cannot get enough of those stars. It will remain in bollywood history forever. It’s a tough job to create such an ensemble with perfection. You got to see to believe it. And the climax was the perfect icing on the top of cake. Even after credits rolled you didn’t want to leave the seat.

Acting wise all the stars were perfect. SRK has usual stole the show after long time doing masala movie. He had been typecast for very long time as YASH RAJ hero. Deepika is outstanding; no one would believe this is her first movie. She is perfect, and would definitely grab the best new comer in the filmfare awards (till now). Arjun Rampal is a revelation.
Dude, where has this guy been!

No other villain in the industry has such looks, style and dreadful menace. He took everyone by surprise. Shreyas and Kiron Kher completely complemented the story. They have given their best.

Now the surprises in the movie…

The movie starts with 70’s Rishi Kapoor shooting for Om Shanti Om song, while Shahrukh Khan, Farah Khan and Shreyas were there as audience. Plus you get to see Late Sunil Dutt Saheb singing and dancing along Deepika, plus Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra using latest FX.

Even Akshay, Amitabh and Abhishek are in the movie. Yes, during filmfare awards function Amitabh is asked ‘Will Om win Awards ?’, Big B says - Who Om ?
It was very funny. Then Abhishek is shown in nomination list for Dhoom 5. And in background narrator tells he is even not in Dhoom 5. The most funny was Akki’s nomination for his film - Return of Khiladi… dude you must watch it to experience it. Hilarious!

31 stars song is the best. You get to see all almost all from the fraternity, Dharamji to Zayed Khan, Rekhaji to Vidhya. You will have to watch several times not to miss those stars. Apart from those stars there are also Diya Mirza, Amisha Patel, Subash Ghai, Rishi Kapoor who appears during Filmfare nominations.

Forget cricket, forget diwali … have a blast with Om Shanti Om … you won’t regret it !
Believe me !!

Special Videos - Not to be missed !

The Making of Song - Deewangi (31 Stars) - Part 1

The Making of Song - Deewangi (31 Stars) - Part 2

The Making of Song - Deewangi (31 Stars) - Part 3