Om Shanti Om (2007)

An action-packed slog

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This is one movie that is sheer perfection because it is exactly what it is supposed to be - over the top, dramatic, and a light hearted spoofy take on old world Bollywood with heartwarming characters and superb acting. Everything about this movie is spot on. Fantastic music, dialogues, and superb hamming by all actors. Hard to believe that this is Deepika Padukone's first movie as she more than holds her own against the inimitable SRK, who is at his absolute finest whether he's being silly, sensitive, or insanely dramatic. Kirron Kher is her usual superb self as the 'filmy ma', and Arjun Rampal smoother than well aged scotch as the archetypal villain. Shreyas Talpade is the real screen stealer though, for his finely nuanced performance as the hero's best friend. I love watching this one when I really want to remind myself that life doesn't have to be serious all the time, and that if things aren't okay as yet, it means 'picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!

After seeing first 15 minutes of the movie I turned off my tv. Overloaded with overacting...crap movie from crap director!

The less known about the plot of this film going into it, the better. In brief, Om Prakash Makhija (Shah Rukh Khan), a "junior artist" at the movie studio, is in love with top actress Shantipryia (Deepika Padukone). They both meet with an unfortunate event, and are killed. Thirty years later, Om Kapoor (Shah Rukh Khan) realizes suddenly that he is the first Om reincarnated, and sets a path to avenge the death of Shanti.Comedy and drama combine to make this an entertaining film. In addition, Om Shanti Om, makes gentle fun of itself and Bollywood movies in general, adding another level of fun. Both of Khan's performances are solid, and Padukone (in her debut role) is a confident, convincing actress. The movie is full of Bollywood big names giving special appearances and cameos --well over 50-- giving an added dimension to the movie, as the viewer tries to recognize them all. It contains impressive dance numbers, with mostly good music. Overall, while not perfect, Om Shanti Om is thoroughly enjoyable.(Other cast members include Bindu in a small role, Kirron Kher as Om Prakash Makhija's mother, Arjun Rampal as Mukesh Mehra, and Shreyas Talpade as Pappu Master.)

As a relative newcomer to the Hindi film scene, I probably haven't seen the best that Bollywood has to offer yet, I'm working on it though. However, I have seen enough to know that on a purely entertainment level, Om Shant Om works. The music is catchy and the dance sequences are fun and upbeat. Granted the reincarnation theme is a bit hard to accept for the westerner, but hey, most movie themes are hard to truly accept anyway. (Terminator anyone?) You go to the movie to escape from your hum drum life and be entertained, to enter a dream world that you can never live in. You don't expect true to life do you? That's not very entertaining, and if that's what you want, well then read the newspaper or watch the news. Yes the script could have been tighter, some of the acting could have been a bit less hammy, but overall, a very watchable film, even for a westerner. Probably not the best of Bollywood or even Hollywood for that matter, but then again certainly not the worst either.All in all, a fun flick, lots of color, good music, hammy acting (yes that can be a plus) that just leaves you feeling good. The bad guy got his come-uppance and the boy got the girl. What more can you ask for?