The hype surrounding Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om places a burden on the movie to deliver the goods. It doesn't. This is not to say that the movie is bad, cos it clearly isn't, but it's not all that good either. It's a bollywood blockbuster in every sense of the word. But like most Bollywood - or Hollywood, for that matter - blockbusters, the hype is bigger than the movie could ever hope to be. With Om Shanti Om, it's not only the media and public's fault. A weak script, weak plot, and all-round weak story conspire to ruin the movie. What saves it are strong performances from the two leads, Shah Rukh Khan and model-turned-actress Deepika Padukone.
In a movie featuring just about every bollywood star from the last 30 years, the newcomer, Deepika Padukone, still grabs the limelight. Those familiar with SRK's work know what to expect - songs, dance, crying every half hour, and the customary cry in the rain. Where SRK surprises is in the effort he's put into perfecting his torso, and in one dance routine alone displays why it's worth watching the movie AND why the oil price is so high.
Where the movie fails dismally is intrying to determine what it is. Is it a story of revenge or eternal love? Or is it a vehicle to pay homage to Bollywood? It fails on both counts, but what it does, intentionally or not, is highlight the superior bollywood era of the late '70's when compared to the current bollywood scene. Compare the opening dance sequences of both halves and the difference in quality is plain to see. While 1977 bollywood is artistic with free use of colour, bollywood 2007 is a more westernized, sexier, yet colder era - and is exposed in these dance sequences as such.
Another important point the movie raises is the nepotism that exists in bollywood, yet the movie itself does nothing to question, condone or condemn this nepotism. The reason for this can probably be summed up by the one dance sequence featuring just about every bollywood star from the last 3 decades. What it comes across as is some self-indulgent bollywood exercise that serves to name-drop rather than add any weight to the story or the movie. It's the kind of scene that has its rightful place at the end of a movie as the credits roll.
I'd still recommend watching the movie for three reasons, though. 3. The seventies bollywood era. 2. Shah Rukh Khan's body and 1. Deepika Padukone
7/10
1 comment:
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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