There are some films that come written with ‘Box-office success’ all over them. Even Sachin cannot dream of being so consistent with his strokeplay as the people who make typical ‘Candy-floss’ Bollywood movies. Om Shanti Om is a film from the same genre, but definitely one that comes across a far superior product. With liberal usage of Bollywood song-and-dance sequences and the emotional melodrama that we potray as authentic Indian culture, Farah Khan, the director, uses all her experience in Bollywood to make a film that appeals to each and every age-group.

The story is known to one and all owing to the extremely pervasive media publicty (I agree with Maqbool when he says “Just tell them the address of the place, they will reach faster than you can imagine to promote the film”). SRK plays a junior-artiste Om who is madly in love with the superstar of the day Shanti played by newcomer Deepika Padukone. Om tries to woo Shanti through the first minutes of the film, but Shanti is already in love with her producer Mukesh played by Arjun Rampal. Mukesh pretends love to Shanti, which she believes readily. She however is simply a pawn in his game to become the biggest producer in the industry, and he plots to kill her by burning her alive in his mansion. Om tries to rescue his beloved but fails, and both die pre-interval. Om is reborn again as (who else) Om Kapoor (OK), but this time as the son of a filmstar couple. Arrogant, Proud and Spoilt, OK is the apple of his fans and the nightmare of his production crew. However, the film take a decisive turn during a shoot at the same mansion where Shanti was burnt alive. OK’s memory comes rushing back and he recalls flashes of his past existence. He then meets Mukesh at a party, who now is a big producer in Hollywood. The final card is played when a Shanti look-alike appears for an audtion and OK plans to extract revenge on Mukesh - all this in the backdrop of producing a movie aptly titled Om shanti Om.

What looks like a sound script fails because of its lack of originality and innovativeness. There is nothing in the story that exudes the freshness the promos so promised. The fact that this entire story is spelt out in one single song (Dastaan e-om shanti om) is proof enough that Farah did not expect to impress with a great storyline or intelligent dialogues. Instead the film’s strong points are (and due credit must be given here) in its presentation, art direction and editing. The cinematography is good, veering towards moments of sheer brilliance in some scenes. The opening scene for example, where Rishi Kapoor dance to the Om Shanti Om song from Karz only to be replaced by SRK in the next scene, is not just great camerawork, but also a wonderful example of a good transition (credit there to Farah and Shirish, the editor). Transitions are used with great effect in some of the other songs as well.

Scriptwriting and story-telling were never Farah’s forte, and perhaps will never be, but Farah has been in the industry long enough to play to her strengths. She knows the kind of cinema she is good at making and gives her 100% in that effort, and the result is there for all to see - this is one Bollywood flick that is going to rake in moolah at the cash registers for weeks to come but down the years it will be remembered as a movie that typifies Bollywood fully. SRK revels in a role that he has made his own in Bollywood. There aren’t many in Bollywood with his balance of acting skills, zeal and style. Deepika’s acting is limited to a few scenes, for she is largely there to add a glamour quotient to this film. Shreyas is good in the role of Om’s childhood friend and companion, using just the right balance of entusiasm and emotion in his dialogues. Arjun Rampal does what he does best in Bollywood - carry along small roles that doesn’t tax his acting skills. Kirron Kher as Om’s mother is a tad melodramatic as the molly-coddlying, beta hamesha sahi hain mother. Indeed at times the scenes between ma and beta make you impatient.

What makes the film click ultimately is its humour and its satirical references to erstwhile and modern Bollywood figures. The scene where Sooraj Barjatya gets a famous Maine Pyaar Kiya dialogue from an Om-Shanti conversation is a masterstroke, and there is classic satire when the director takes a poke at SLB with the deaf-dumb-blind movie which is ‘only meant to garner awards’, and at Tamil films wherein wild imagination often coalesces with drama. It might seem trivial but SRK even does not hesitate to poke fun at himself when he says “overacting tho mere khandaan main hi hai” or with coming late on the sets. It’s not the easiest thing when you have to taunt yourself with the whole world watching. The awards ceremony scene was nicely done, and Akshay’s reaction on not winning the award was a riot. The face-covered-by-hand Manoj Kumar scenes were frolicsome. Indeed it’s all these little nicely done scenes, woven seamlessly into a rather morbid storyline, that are the film’s selling points.

I have heard everyone say that this is a film you will enjoy if you leave your brain at home and go only for the entertainment quotient. I disagree: I don’t see a whole lot of entertainment quotient in a tried-and-tested storyline, or in a rather lame dance sequence involving 31 Bollywood superstars. At the same time I saw a lot of care put into making some scenes. You really need to take your head with you to understand the nuances in these.

Farah, you are the one of the best choreographer’s in the industry, yet that did not ooze out on-screen. You took a weak story and script and by excellent use of the camera and sets churned out a watchable film for which you must be given credit. Finally, you gave due recognition to a lot of the behind-the-scenes staff, for which the whole of Bollywood will admire you. However, publicity frenzy and a media over-hype cannot make an average film exceptional. Why does it work? Well Farah has the answer to that the movie’s most repeated dialogue - Kehte hain agar kisi cheez ko agar dil se chaho to saari kayanath tumhe usse milane ki koshish me lag jaati hai. (when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true)

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