‘Om Shanti Om’

One day on a movie set, heroine Shanti Priya (Deepika Padukone) accidentally gets trapped in a fire and despite her screams, no one goes to her aid. Seeing this and spurred on by his star-struck crush on her, Om immediately jumps in and gallantly carries her to safety. It is not lost on Pappu or Om that this is similar to the scene in Mother India, where Sunil Dutt saved Nargis from a fire sequence, after which they got married.

There is an immediate spark between the two, of love in Om’s case and friendship in Shanti’s case, but Om does not realise it yet. He tells her he will jump into a thousand fires and even give up his own life for hers.

In the following weeks, Om sets about trying to impress Shanti with his “heroic” movie scenes. In keeping with the time period, we see cowboys, mini-dresses, bell-bottomed plaid trousers and even hippies.

Finally, Shanti agrees to spend a casual evening with him and while Om’s love grows deeper, she undergoes a silent agony. She has been married for the past two years to up- and-coming director Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Ramphal) and is now pregnant with his child.

In his quest for fame, he has not acknowledged his marriage to Shanti publicly and is even considering a proposal to marry the daughter of a financier to what he considers his dream movie, Om Shanti Om.

Realising she is blocking his one chance at this blockbuster, Mukesh decides to kill his wife. He sets the building on fire leaving her trapped inside.

Meanwhile, Om was on his way to see Shanti when he overhears the conversation between the two. Dejectedly he starts to leave then realises what is unfolding. He tries to save Shanti, but Mukesh sends two thugs to stop him.

Both Om and Shanti end up dead. This is where the reincarnation comes in. Om is brought back to life as the son of Rajesh Kapoor.

Now 30 years later, Om Kapoor is a star receiving a Film Fare Award. The scenes from this award show sequence are probably the most hilarious in the entire two and three quarter hours, with Abishek Bachchan and Akshay Kumar providing trademark laughs, as they express “indignation” when they don’t win.

One of the best song and dance sequences ever in a Bollywood film follows, with a long list of Bollywood who’s who congratulating Om. This includes, Kajol, Juhi Chawla, Rekha, Sunil Shetty, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and more.

For a while, you wonder if this is Shah Rukh Khan’s biography, with all the people he has worked with over the years showing their support. It is a Red Chillies Production after all, with his wife Gauri as producer. (Maybe that’s why we see so much of his almost perfect glistening torso, which looks good for his age). But back to the movie. Modern day Om Kapoor is the epitome of Hollywood, complete with the crotch-grabbing Jacksonesque aura, as well as the bad-boy rock star-wearing skeleton-print T- shirts.

The first half hour of the film keeps you glued to your seat, but it fizzles somewhat as the climax draws to an end, where Om vows to unveil the truth about Shanti’s death, as memories of his past life are triggered by unexpected events. (Similar to Karan Arjun, which also starred Shah Rukh and Salman).

Bearing a strong resemblance to the Rishi Kapoor classic Karz, and touted to be Shah Rukh’s biggest release ever (isn’t this the same for all his new releases?), Om Shanti Om is a pocketful of funny moments and equally overplayed cliches.

If you were expecting an out and out entertainer like 2004’s Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, then this is going to be disappointing, which must be surprising for anyone familiar with director Farah Khan’s previous offerings.

But give her kudos for the choreography and her attempt at recreating Hindi cinema’s golden era. Longtime fans are sure to feel a bit nostalgic while watching, due to the many references to past hits.

Shah Rukh and Deepika (to a lesser extent) are the lone winners this time, with a fair amount of subjective beauty minus acting. Shah Rukh carries the entire film on his acting merit, but this was probably no accident.