Bollywood Movie Review: Om Shanti Om

Om Shanti Om, released this year, begins with an energetic dance sequence set inside a Hindi film studio. There, we get our first look at burgeoning artist Om Prakash Mahija and his fascination with stardom. Om has aspirations to become the best, but his dreams are sideswiped by his love for Shanti Priya, the most beautiful actress in film.

When her movie Dreamy Girl is released, Om and his buddy are among the first people in the door. During the movie, Om replaces male characters with himself, creating quirky and fun musical scenes fit with good mannered humor. Later, when Om and Shanti Priya finally meet, their love is put to a halt when Om is tragically murdered. Om is reincarnated as Om Kapoor and later discovers the reality of what happened. Although she is now much older, Om sets out to find his love Shanti Priya again.

Subtitles aren't even needed to find Om Shanti Om funny, and actually, not knowing the language makes the film that much better. Short pieces of English fit into Om's dialogue reveal just how much American influence is in Om's romantic ideas of becoming a movie star. Those short portions of the conversations that involve just a couple words of English help tie together the entire movie into a cohesive picture that anyone can enjoy.

The acting, too, is great to watch. Shah Rukh Khan especially puts on a very enthusiastic performance with Om that's very identifiable with Americans. A hint of sarcasm in his character carries traits seen in today's Western comedies and is very interesting to watch. From scene to scene the audience can snicker at the silly over-the-top excitement the actors and actresses fall into, so even if you can't take the movie seriously, (which you probably won't), you'll still love to hate it.

Director Farah Khan's contagious choreography works well with the Hindi melodrama making Om Shanti Om one of the best Bollywood movies out today. The elaborate scenes filled with Hindi dancing and song is intoxicating to say the least. Khan's cinematography and choreography has been praised before in other films including Main Hoon Nah and Krrish. She was awarded four times with the Filmfare Best Choreography Award for her work in dozens of hit Bollywood movies. But one thing all her movies have in common is unique choreography and directing ideas that have brought her to the front row of Hindi film-making.

Om Shanti Om is an enchanting romantic comedy that nearly anyone can love. The entire movie is light-hearted and accented by colorful scenery along with extravagant costume designs. With all this in mind, Om Shanti Om may be Farah Khan's most well-rounded film to date, capable of being enjoyed equally from country to country.

Sources:
http://bollywoodzone.wetpaint.com/page/Farah+Khan?t=anon