Review of OMG Oh My God !

Release Date - 28'th September 2012

One Line which describes the film -  Scepticism is the beginning of faith -  Oscar Wilde  

Best Dialogue –  "Jahan dharam hai wahan satya ki jagah nahi hai. Aur jahan satya hai wahan dharam ki zaroorat hi nahi. " 

Genre- Comedy/ Drama

Story -   Bhavesh Mandalia   (who wrote the play  Kanji virudh Kanji on which the film is based ,  Umesh Shukla 

Direction-  Umesh Shukla

Producer – Ashvini Yardi , Akshay Kumar ,  Paresh Rawal


Music Director - Himesh Reshammiya & Meet Bros Anjjan

Cast – Paresh Rawal , Akshay Kumar , Mithun Chakraborty


Budget – 25 - 30 crores (approximately)

Umesh Shukla's Oh My God! based on his own successful play Kanji Viruddh Kanji, which in turn is inspired from  the  film The Man Who Sued God   brings our attention to the misuse and commercialization of religion .
It doesn't say that God is not there but teaches us that we can only be close to God by our actions  and not by just praying to God when we want something in exchange from him . Our faith in God helps us in knowing what is right and it's our duty to follow that path. 


The film with a strong script and powerful dialogues  tries to address  most of the ways in which people have commercialised religion and use the fear inside people to fill their own pockets . We are taught since childhood that there is unity in diversity but in reality we see that the different religions in our country have played more role in dividing people than in uniting them.

Paresh Rawal as Kanjibhai, the self-confessed atheist is the life and soul of the film . He delivers the dialogues with such conviction that not for a second you think of him as Paresh Rawal , the actor but from the starting of the film he is Kanjibhai a shrewd businessman who loves his family and doesn't lose his confidence even when he has lost almost everything important to him.     

When Tisca Chopra asks him -"Dharm ki life main kya importance hai ?" and after a pause he answers  "Dharm ya to logon ko bebas banata hai ya aatankawadi " everyone who has seen the film must have felt like clapping on this simple yet meaningful lines.  

Akshay Kumar as the suited booted  avatar of Krishna Vasudev Yadav from Gokul, makes his entry like a superhero in a specially designed motor cycle worth 10 lakhs .(with the bollywood touch , check the number plate). There are many conversations between him and Kanjibhai which are presented in a comic way but make us question the blind faiths which have been an eternal part of our life (like offering milk to shivlings )

Mithun Chakraborty,  Govind Namdeo, and 

Poonam Jhawer as the modern day Godmen  

were asked by Umesh Shukla to watch spiritual channels to get a feel of how Godmen talked and behaved in real life . 

The parting shot by Mithun "Aastha aur shraddha ka nasha afeem ki tarah hai ,ek baar adat lag jaye to asani se nahi jati .Ye God fearing log hai ,God loving nahi ,ek din laut ke yahin aayenge "   just confirmed the fact that  a film may not be enough to change the thinking style of the majority but then every small step in the right direction  matters and must not be ignored. 
"In  a line OMG may not be Oscar material like Barfi or scandalous like Heroine but it's an eye opening film which every Indian must watch ."
Totally entertaining and paisa-wasool . 

Review of Heroine

Release Date - 21'st September 2012

One Word which describes the film - Scandalous

Best Dialogue –  Manipulate kar lo ya ho jao

Genre- Romance / Drama

Story /Direction- Madhur Bhandarkar

Producer –  Ronnie Screwvala , Madhur Bhandarkar

Music Director -Salim-Sulaiman

Cast – Kareena Kapoor , Arjun Rampal , Randeep Hooda

Budget –  32 crores

The Official Press Release distributed as a part of the announcement of the film stated  that "The film is based on the life and times of a superstar heroine, Mahi from the dream factory we call 'Bollywood'. The film is a daring, shocking, glamorous, scandalous behind-the-scenes account of the reality behind the world of glitz and glamour that our film stars inhabit. For a country obsessed with films and film stars, Heroine will take audiences on a voyeuristic journey to see what really goes on in the lives of India's sweethearts."


Madhur Bhandarkar , despite giving a film with a  strong script ,smart direction, well edited scenes and a  fast story  is receiving lots of criticism just shows the double standards of the film industry and critics . Maybe the story of people using each others ,actors getting  other's roles edited , the under hand tactics used by the stars at the top was too close to the reality to be openly applauded. People are saying that the film is a replica of Page 3 and Fashion . Bollywood industry is closely associated with the modelling world and Page 3 parties so there were bound to be similarities. It's not as if Bhandarkar promised something and delivered something else .

The film was about an emotionally unstable actress, who wants love and acceptance but is  also desperate for success and publicity and can go to any lengths for the same . The film has several scenes which target the cream of Bollywood actors in a subtle yet playful way such as Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Preity Zinta . 

The film started well and managed to hold audience's interest till the end. Kareena Kapoor  well known for her real life cat fights with other heroines and glamour doll image perfectly fits the role and has given an intense performance which is bound to get her many awards . 
Randeep Hudda was great in his role of  Vice Captain of  Indian cricket team .With time the actor has not only groomed himself but his acting has also become refined . 

The only thing which I think worked against the film was casting Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Suri as the top stars of the industry . Both actors have given average performance and not left any impact on the viewers.  

In a  line if ever you  felt envious of the celebrity lifestyle you must watch this film to know that once the show is over they are also human beings and face the ups and downs of life like any other common person. 

A must watch for Bollywood lovers . 

Review of Barfi

Release Date - 14'th September 2012

The song which describes the film 
Yaar dildar tujhe kaisa chahiye
Pyar chahiye ya paisa chahiye . 

Best Dialogue –  Life main sabse bada risk hota hai koyi risk na lena .

Genre- Romance / Comedy

Story / Screenplay /Direction- Anurag Basu

Producer –  Ronnie Screwvala , Siddharth Roy Kapoor

Music Director - Pritam

Cast – Ranbir Kapoor , Priyanka Chopra , Ileana D'Cruz

Budget –  (Not disclosed but has to be above 30 crores)

Rating - 5 stars to Anurag Basu for daring to be different , 4 stars for Ranbeer's acting , 3.5 stars for the 70's look created in the film , 3 stars each to Priyanka and Iliena .

Anurag Basu tweeted on 2'nd Sep "Just got the censor certificate, 'Barfi' is my first U certificate film .
This tweet reminded me of his earlier works ,the passionate Murder , the unfinished love story Gangster ,the complicated lives of people in Life in a... Metro   and the ultimate disappointment for me , Kites . 
I thought that, was it a good move by Anurag to shift from his comfort zone and take a risk which will surely win the critics but may or may not appeal to the audience ?" 

When I entered the theater it was just 30% full which was surprising considering the excessive publicity the stars did in the last 10 days. As the film progressed , we got involved in the daily life of a deaf and mute simpleton who lives life to the fullest , never complains , loves his friend but doesn't hesitate in testing their friendship.  Yes,there were some slow moments, times when the film became monotonous and confusing but the end half an hour totally made the film a MUST watch and we left the theaters with a smile on our face.

The one dialogue which totally won my heart was " Usne soch ke pyar nahi kiya aur jab pyar ho gaya to kuch socha nahi "

Ranbir Kapoor is one actor who dedicates himself fully to his films. He did it with Rockstar and here too he doesn't disappoint the audience with his character which is a combination of Charlie Chaplin and Mr Bean . To get the perfect expressions he has himself shot some portions of the film featuring him in intense scenes .  He even has done some of  his own stunts in Barfee.
The idea of showing the different time periods by street hoardings advertising a Murphee radio then  Prestige cooker actually took us back to that time  .There are very few dialogues between the lead actors but the lack of dialogues is made up with the soul touching lyrics and music by Pritam .

It's sad that the film is released between two commercial blockbusters , Raaz3 and Heroine which will surely effect the box office collections but hopefully word of mouth will encourage people to watch it. 

In a  line if you have forgotten to enjoy the simple pleasures life offers to us everyday, this film is for you .
Watch the film in theater to experience some heart touching moments .