Asian Cinema Challenge 2023 | 25/52 | Bollywood
1977
Omi Makhija is a background actor (junior artist) in Mumbai. We meet him on the set of Karz, playing a crowd member, as Subhash Ghai directs Rishi Kapoor in a performance of the song “Om Shanti Om.” He dreams of taking Rishi Kapoor’s place and becoming the show’s star (hero). Though Omi has had little success, his friend Pappu believes he will become big someday— if he changes his name. When Omi suggests it to his mother, Bela, she becomes forlorn. But Omi does not wish to die a junior artist as his father did.
Omi visits his “girlfriend” on the bridge: a poster of actress Shantipriya, to whom he confesses his feelings. Pappu comes up with a scheme for them to sneak into the premiere of Shanti’s new film, Dreamy Girl, disguised as famous actors. Omi’s bracelet gets caught on Shanti’s train. She notices him and smiles as she undoes the knot.
Cut to Omi and Pappu getting minor roles in a Mukesh Mehra production, the same producer who gave Shanti her break. In the scene, the village is on fire. During the shoot, Shanti gets trapped in the fire, so Omi rushes in to save her. Shanti overhears Omi confessing his love for her. Pappu lies to Shanti, saying Omi is a Tamil film star. After an elaborate stunt, Shanti learns the truth, but because he saved her, she is willing to help with her career.
The film follows Omi through a series of shocking revelations, deaths, and a rebirth. It all centers around a movie called “Om Shanti Om” and a producer’s fiendish plot.
This movie is incredibly inside baseball and has many references I don’t get. The film has several cameos from older Bollywood actors, often portraying themselves but obviously older than they were in the 70s, as well as contemporary ones when the movie jumps forward 30 years. Or, if the characters are watching an older film, they will intercut actors from that movie with actual footage from it. In one scene, Omi quotes a movie that hasn’t been made yet, and we see a young screenwriter writing down those lines for that film.
These choices are our clue that the movie indulges in a larger-than-life alternate reality and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Every line is delivered like the ramp-up to a musical number, but also as a wink to the audience, reminding us that the characters are actors too, and their largeness is a part of their performing persona.
Still, the movie engages in all the Bollywood genres, blurring the industry is known for. Romance, melodrama, musical, comedy, mystery — we get a little bit of everything. We get the classic musical numbers that explain the hero’s internal state as we watch him in montage. Because they do so much, summaries are challenging to write.
The second half of the movie leans heavily into contemporary cameos, almost feeling like Zoolander, with Om as an oblivious dork who’s wildly successful. This part is where the film starts to lag, spending more time on cameos than on advancing the story.
As a homage to classic Bollywood, the movie has some of its trappings, too, with an inert damsel as our female lead, 20 years younger in real life than our hero. It gets worse in the second half, where she plays a “stupid girl” who threatens to ruin everything.
The best part of the movie is the screening of Dreamy Girl, where Omi imagines himself on screen with Shanti, performing multiple themed dances. The other musical numbers are fun, and there are a ton of bops throughout, but none match the dynamic energy and visual flair of the Dreamy Girl scene.
While the movie is too long, especially in the latter half, it is a bright love letter to Bollywood and is a breezy watch.
Stray Thoughts / Spoilers
- The color is excellent in the 70s sequences!
- I love that Shah Rukh worked to get a six-pack for a short musical number halfway into the movie. The song is “Dard-e-Disco” (“Pain of Disco”), which is probably the most memorable from the film.
- I’ve seen the crotch gun-shooting scene before, I didn’t realize it was from this movie, and it was intentionally a joke!
- I love that people like the Art Director and DP get their moment to shine in the credits! Very cute.
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amazon-primerentalasiancinemachallenge2023asiancc2023asiancc2023week25directed-by-womenwritten-by-women