Movie Review: Om Shanti Om

Shahrukh Kan as Om Prakash/Om Kapoor

Deepika Padukone as Shantipriya/Sandhya

Shreyas Talpade as Pappu

Arjun Rampal as Mukesh Mehra

Some people say that India is In the Middle-East. And some argue that it is part of Asia. Either way you look at it, the culture of India is expressive and exciting. I have made a few ventures into Bollywood film, and just found a movie that shoved it’s way into my top 10 favorite movies. Om Shanti Om. It’s a movie about love, reincarnation and following your dreams until they come true. The best thing is; that it’s all toped off with song and dance, true Bollywood style. Despite controversy about some of the tongue-in-cheek jokes and claims that the movie was plagiarized from various people, the movie was a great success in India and all over the world, bringing in over 39 million dollars world wide.

The movie starts out with Om Prakash, a second-rate extra in the 1970’s Bollywood film industry. He aims to become a top-star and adores the most popular female actress – Shantiprya. He dreams of meeting her and falling in love, believing that only if he is a “Hero” will he meet her. One day, while filming he happens to be the only person brave enough to jump into a burning fire to save Shanti, and because of this encounter they become friends. Om begins to fall in love with her, but Shanti remains distant. He eventually stumbles across the truth that Shanti is married, and decides to leave her alone to her happiness. But her happiness is short lived, when her husband decides to kill her. Om happens to witness this and tries to save her, but dies in the process.

Cut to 30 years later. Om Kapoor is a spoiled, rich, and arrogant top Indian movie star, son of the famous Rajesh Kapoor, whom Om Prakash looked up to. Om Kapoor uses his fathers’ celebrity to advance his career, instead of actually depending on himself and his own abilities. We watch as he enjoys his life, but there is a secret he has yet to discover. While getting ready to film a new movie his is taken to a dilapidated studio where he has flashes of memories that don’t belong to him. Om Kapoor soon realizes that he is the reincarnation of Om Prakash. Intent on getting revenge for the death of his beloved Shanti and his own life, he plots to get the murderer to confess his crimes.

I LOVE this movie. I have very little knowledge of all the dozens of big stars in this movie. But I could feel the electricity in this movie and that there was something special about it from the very beginning. The music, and the people and the story were all supurb. The movie was pretty long, but in order to tell the entire story it was necessary. If you are ready for a lovely story that will make you laugh and that will raise your spirits. Head out and find yourself a copy.