OMG! Oh My God!

If the net is to be believed, then Umesh Shukla, the director of OMG! Oh My God! is also the writer of the play – Kanji Viruddh Kanji (Kanji v/s Kanji). That’s a significant amount of credit to the man I must say. Not sure if he came up with the concept himself because in 2001, there was a Hollywood movie starring Billy Connely and directed by Mark Joffe called The Man Who Sued God.

Chances are that he was inspired by the Hollywood flick. But mind you, I have nothing against inspiration – provided the inspiration was translated well. And Umesh Shukla does a fine job with the screenplay for OMG – yep; it would seem he has written and directed the movie. With a little help from one Bhavesh Mandalia as well. Most of the dialogues are simple and high impact dialogues.

2 of them stand out more than the others. One when Om Puri tells Kanji Bhai, “Mazhab Insaanon ke liye banta hai. Mazhab ke liye insaan nahin bante” (Religion is made for man. Not the other way round). And the killer one is the star of the show – Mithun Da – when he tells Kanji Bhai towards the end, “Aastha, Shraddha, sab hafeem ki nashe ki tarah hai. Aasaani se nahin chhoot ti hai. Because these people are not god loving. They are God Fearing people” (Faith is like an addiction. It is not easy to give it up).

For those, who are unaware of the story, OMG! – as the name of the Hollywood movie suggests, is about a man who decides to sue the man upstairs. Kanji Bhai (Paresh Rawal) is a non believer in religion and idol worship – perceived by most people as an atheist. When a small quake hits the city, surprisingly, only his store is razed to the ground. The insurance company says they cannot reimburse him, because it is “AN ACT OF GOD”. Kanji Bhai decides that his only option is to take God – to court.

OMG is kept alive thanks to some stunning performances by the old guard of Indian Cinema. Paresh Rawal is so supremely convincing in his role of Kanji Bhai that one would be fair to assume that he was convinced about the concept. Om Puri – albeit in a brief role – was solid. But to me, the piece de resistance was the quiet (very few dialogues) performance from the Disco Dancer himself. Mithun Da shows why most of us believe that his performance 40 years back in Mrigaya was not a one off. Stunning!!!

Despite the loose inspiration from Ghost Rider and some obvious gaffes like everyone on the football ground wearing David Villa T Shirts, I still thought OMG was well made. What I liked about OMG was the message of belief in supreme being but not by making a business out of it. A message which the audience seemed to enjoy – but I am afraid will be quickly forgotten once people leave the hall. I am hoping against hope that I am wrong. 7 on 10 and a strong possibility of a support actor award for Mithun Da.

Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyQAFhBv4Ts