OMG Oh My God! is about
something that touches all our lives - religion. It is a film about our
relationship with God, how instead of being God-loving, we have become God-fearing. How religion has become a business run by godmen (here
aptly referred to as 'salesmen') who aren't in fact very spiritual at all. A
note to atheists and agnostics - the film is not an endorsement of those views.
It insists on the existence of God.
Kanji Lalji Mehta, played by Paresh Rawal, is an
avowed atheist who runs an antiques shop. Kanji is a wily salesman. He weaves
tall tales around his wares and sells 200-rupee idols for thousands. The
faithful are always ready to pay. As Kanji puts it: "Shraddha ka kaam hai, jitna dalo, utna kum."
One day, an earthquake destroys Kanji's shop.
The insurance company refuses to pay, saying it was an act of God. So Kanji,
defiant, furious and abandoned by his family, goes to court and sues God. The
story is an adaptation of a very successful Gujarati play, which later became a
hit in Hindi and Marathi too. The original template is an Australian film
called The Man Who Sued God. Sadly, here, a terrific play makes for limp
cinema.
Director Umesh Shukla, who has also directed the
play, is bogged down by the burden of Bollywood. So we must have an item number
with Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhu Deva. Shukla must also make room for the
mega-stardom of Akshay Kumar, who is both producer and God.
Akshay plays God, which would have worked well if
the film didn't have to build him up so much. He is introduced with an
elaborate action sequence, featuring tacky special effects, in which he rescues
Kanji from religious fanatics. This God comes to earth on a snazzy motorcycle
and wears, among other things, a long purple jacket. His face is always bathed
in a strange, diffused light. And there are scores of frames of him just
smiling benevolently or looking wisely into the distance.
Paresh is wonderful as the stubborn, smart and
eccentric Kanji. He gets a few fiery scenes in court, but the film sags because
the other characters are so flimsy. Mithun Chakraborty, in a hideous wig, plays
a weird, fey guru. Govind Namdeo is a godman who constantly eats fruits and
shakes with anger almost every time he speaks. Eventually OMG Oh My God!
dissipates into a lecture. The intentions are good, but the preaching is
boring.
Paresh Rawal, as usual, rises above the material.
He is the force in this film.
Direction: Umesh Shukla
Actors: Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Mithun
Music: Himesh Reshmmiya
Reviewed by Anupama Chopra's