Om Shanti Om Movie Review

The smash hit Om Shanti Om oozes glitz and glamour. From the plot that is all about stardom to the 42 guest star appearances, Om Shanti Om is a Bollywood film extravaganza. There are some interesting features in the film that make it unique. One is how it incorporates horror movie themes near the end of the film along with the techniques used to create them. The most memorable aspect of Om Shanti Om, also the reason it became such a hit, is how it critiques Bollywood within a Bollywood movie. It is overall a fun movie. It stays away from controversial topics or social justice and really just focuses on entertainment value.

There are very few Hindi movies that are out an out horror flicks. They don’t do particularly well at the box office. Om Shanti Om uses horror themes creatively and ultimately benefits the movie’s appeal. Although the backbone storyline of the film does not support a truly diabolical horror theme that leaves audiences paranoid for days, the small effects meant to be scary were effective. The scene where Sandy appears as Shanti’s in a movie clip that OK and Mukhesh are watching is one example. Although it was a simple play to get audiences to jump a little, it worked! I found myself actually startled at Sandy’s expression and wondering where else she might pop up. In addition, there was an impressive plot twist at the very end of the film where the girl we think is Sandy acting as Shanti actually turns out to be Shanti’s ghost. Hindi movies are all fairly predictable, which is why I did not expect the ending that I saw. I predicted that the movie would carry out the plot it had set up where Sandy tricks Mukhesh into confessing. I was pleasantly surprised when the plot deviated from the most obvious ending and actually had creative finish.

Om Shanti Om is largely a playful critique of Bollywood cinema today. There is a lot of humor and inside jokes that entertain any Bollywood movie fan. Om Shanti Om could be one long skit of the Film Fare awards. In fact, the movie even ventures to the Film Fare awards and features many top rung Bollywood movie stars. Audiences can play “spot the star” during the song “Deewangi Deewangi” much like they do in any award ceremony. Many people watch the film itself, or just that song, to catch a glimpse of all the stars they have not seen acting in a long time.

This film does not have the moral lesson behind it like many of the other films we have watched. The plot is more superficial and highly unrealistic. All of the formulaic qualities present in Hindi films are also present in this film without any attempt to break these conventions, either. The aim of the movie is clearly to let the audience just have fun rather than teach them a new lesson.

For me, Om Shanti Om was a comic relief. It is really the type of Hindi movie I’ve grown up watching; there is hardly any substance in the plot but the humor and bedazzling quality of the whole film makes it a good watch anyway.

Maisha Mir