Oh My God review

3 / 5

Oh My God (OMG) is based on a Gujarati play titled "Kanji Virrudh Kanji" written by Bhavesh Mandalia. The movie is produced by Akshay Kumar who also has a crucial role in the movie. Paresh Rawal is back in a substantial role in OMG which released this past Friday. The movie’s plot is as follows.  

Kanji Bhai is a Gujarati businessman in Mumbai, who doesn’t believe in God. His disbelief becomes stronger when a freak earthquake destroys only his shop while the others are safe. The insurance company refuses to pay him damages saying it is an ‘Act of God’. Kanji becomes agitated at this and decides to throw a case against God himself in the court and claims damages from God. The entire state is polarized by his decision to challenge God and what follows is a legal drama as Kanji has to take on the influential Godmen and priests in the society.

Whether Kanji finally accepts the existence of God and does he positively influence the public which increasingly starts looking at him as a messiah?

The movie is a gutsy and daring attempt to demystify the concept of God. There are many brave attacks on the culture of Godmen, the practice of idol worship, the crores of money collected at temples and they even go as far to say that religion is becoming a big business in the country. The movie states all this with adequate doses of drama and entertainment in the form of razor-sharp dialogues.

The performances are top notch, led by Paresh Rawal as Kanji. He is A-Rate and shoulders the movie throughout. Hi caliber is well known anyway. Mithun Chakraborty as the effeminate Godman must be a really plucky actor to pull this role off with ease. He doesn’t overdo his reactions and his antics bring a chuckle for sure. Akshay Kumar has a very likable cameo as Lord Krishna. The way he bonds with Kanji in his house is beautiful. The bike which he uses is killer though his intro stunts on the bike are poorly executed thanks to the tacky graphics.

Govind Namdeo is another aggressive Godman and he overdoes his part. Kanji’s family has been well enacted by the support characters and so is his neighbor. Om Puri is dignified as the lawyer while Prabhu Deva and Sonakshi Sinha send the feet tapping wildly in their ‘Go Govinda’ special number.  

All the courtroom scenes are gripping and the dialogues make these episodes really hard-hitting. The drama towards the end goes overboard but the movie’s intentions and the nice ending which gives out a valid message, brings the movie back on track.

The cinematography and the music are pretty basic and just serve the purpose of the movie which is primarily to educate the audience without getting preachy.

To sum up, OMG is a worthy watch for the atheists as well as the believers. It makes some valid points on the concept of God and doesn’t beat around the bush. The makers have the guts to call a spade a spade and what we get is a no holds barred debate on religion and the masses’ attitude towards the same.

FINAL WORD: OMG is a thought provoking and hard hitting take on the enigma that is God. GO FOR IT !!!