Om Shanti Om Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Shreyas Talpade, Kiron Kher, Malaika Arora, Javed Shaikh, Arjun Rampal, Zayed Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Dino Morea, Bindu, Satish Shah, Yuvika Chaudary, Shawar Ali, Asawari Joshi; Director: Farah Khan; Rating: ****

A kitschy present-day, Farah Khan take-off on the ultra-popular ’70s Bollywood potboiler that, in her own words is a tribute to filmmaking. Om (Shah Rukh Khan) is a struggling junior artiste who is a regular on the sets of RC Studios. The son of junior artistes themselves, he aspires to become a big star any day and his dreams are bolstered by his filmy best friend Pappu (Shreyas Talpade) and his even more OTT filmy mother (Kirron Kher). He is also madly in love with Bollywood’s heartthrob, the ‘Dreamy Girl’ ShantiPriya (introducing Deepika Padukone!). Alas, she is someone else’s and he doesn’t get a chance to tell her about his love as his life comes to an untimely halt.

Om Shanti om Film But this is a Hindi movie and you have to leave your brains out, or so the filmmaker is telling you. So, Om takes re-birth (in the film industry itself) as a former superstar’s superstar son. And God (or the filmmaker) gives him a second chance to make the wrongs of his past life, right. And now, if we tell you anymore about the film, it will be too obvious! (It is, after all, a full filmy flick!).

Almost everything (Yes, we admit, we’ve sold our souls to SRK)! Which is 98.35 per cent of the film! The film is more a take off on the re-birth formula, made famous by Karz in the ’70s than a tribute; but it does brilliantly. Farah Khan has made everyone act superbly (yes, including Arjun Rampal!). There are so many things to watch out for so we will just list a few highlights:

The cameos by almost the entire industry (Sush, where were you?!?) The fantastic one-liners from ’70s Bollywood; the digital effects ala Forrest Gump. Deepika Padukone. Deepuka Padukone. Deepika Padukone. SRK playing a brash star brat. SRK’s abs (of course!). The witty vision of the filmmaker.

Deepika in Om Shanti Om And finally Farah Khan and SRK’s and the entire film industry’s sassiness to do a take off on the take off, because, when you look at it, the film is not just a take off on ’70s Bollywood but also on today’s filmy frenzy!

Well, er, um, should we say it? You know, well, er, um… Okay, well, the sort of tackiness of the first part of the film, where Farah Khan attempts to re-create ’70s Bombay. She could have done a little more and somehow you just aren’t convinced and just know it’s a big put on. But enough! The film is good and we can overlook this shortcoming. Phew!

Hit! Hit! Hit! The masses will love it; the classes will love it too! The NRIs will gobble it up and froth over it and the youth, even though they may not get certain references to the Bollywood of yesteryears and even the line “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, will love it! SRK is King.

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