OSO – Oh So much Fun!!

There is something fascinating about a movie that is unabashedly commercial and seemingly proud of it. ‘Om Shanti Om’ (OSO) is one such film. It has no pretensions of being cerebral and is unapologetic about where its heart lies – in the unrealistic, melodramatic, clichéd traditions of hindi commerical cinema. What endeared this movie to me was the fact that this remains true to the genre, and the way it pays tribute to the Bollywood films of 70s and 80s.

It is interesting that there are so many films coming out of Bollywood these days that look back or rehash older films. These films range from awful (RGV’s Aag) to average (Farhan Akhtar’s Don) to good (Sriram Raghavan’s Johnny Gaddar). OSO, directed by Farah Khan, is one of the better ones.

There isn’t much to say about the story line. Don’t watch the film for its story. See it for the treatment. This film embodies almost all the ingredients of a Bollywood potboiler –overacting, dream sequences, garish costumes, elaborate sets, happy song, sad song, item song (pictured on Shah Rukh Khan), even a climax song – all deliberately and lovingly interwoven into an improbable story line, to true Bollywood tradition .

The film is one of the funniest hindi movies I have seen since Lage Raho Munnabhai. The first half in particular is hilarious. There are a lot of side splitting one-liners, but the most laughs come by the way Farah Khan takes swipes at Bollywood – be it the quirks of the stars, illogical scripts or over the top acting. But the humor clearly is good natured, even complimentary, without ever getting critical. No one but quintessential Bollywood insiders like Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan could have gotten away with a film that pokes so much fun at Bollywood.

Aside from identifying and checking off the typical Bollywood elements, the other exciting aspect of the film is to spot references to Bollywood (and even Hollywood) classics. Some of these are more obvious (Karz, Dream Girl) than others (Gone with the Wind, Maine Pyar Kiya, Kaagaz ke phool). I am sure there are many that I missed.

Many of the scenes/dialogues were built into the script as a jab on the film itself – most apparent one to me being the dialogue where a producer in the film being shot in OSO says that he wants the director to have a ‘Manmohan Desai shot’ and not a Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy or Guru Dutt shot. 'Manmohan Desai shot' is what Farah Khan delivers. I loved the self-deprecation that was prevalent through out the film. The credit roll at the end of the film was charming. It was very apt for the film that has junior artistes of the film industry as its protagonists.

The film isn’t without its demerits. But the way the movie has been set-up and packaged, its hard to say if it is a flaw with the film or an intentional drawback left in to be true to the genre.

Go watch the film for some unadulterated fun. It isn’t every day that Bollywood laughs at itself.. much less do it in a way that also pays homage to its cinematic traditions.

Let me know your thoughts on the film by leaving a comment. Also, mention the film references that you were able to notice.