Om Shanti Om star Shah Rukh Khan, nicknamed King Khan, reportedly announced that his film would open bigger than rival
Saawariya during the Hindu holiday of Diwali (the Festival of Lights).
Variety Asia Online reported that the star was just talking smack: "When the numbers were tallied, Khan was proved right." It's easy to see why too.
Om Shanti Om (like the star-studded Chinese New Year films that come out every year) is designed as a crowd pleaser. Not only does it digitally mix old Bollywood celebs with hot young stars but there's one dance number where it seemed like everyone in Bollywood made an appearance. (OK, that's probably an exaggeration and I don't know enough Bollywood stars to verify that, but it sure felt like everyone and their mother was present.) The theater crowd occasionally roared as loud as the people on screen as each new star glided through a dance number for one chorus. What's great is that old and new stars share the screen. In the end credits, in which a red carpet is rolled out for everyone from the stars to the "spot boys" (I have no clue what they do, maybe it's in league with the American best boys) come dancing out to get an on screen ovation. I can't think of an American film where such genuine appreciation of the large tech crew was so nicely displayed. And the director shows some self-deprecating humor by coming out at the very end just as they are rolling up the carpet and everyone's going home. This is a film that packs in the music and the comedy until the very last frame.
When I was on These Days a few weeks back, Troy Johnson described Bollywood films like a bag of Skittles that had exploded -- and that was certainly true of this film. The colors bursting from the sets and costumes are so bold and bright that you could almost taste them. What also makes Om Shanti Om such a delight is the way it's game to poke fun at Bollywood traditions. At one point, Om Kapoor, the Bollywood star played by Khan, is nominated for best actor in two films and the clips from the films look almost identical -- only the actress and the color of his sweater change. That alludes to the kind of recycled plots you'll often find in Bollywood movies. There are also some hilarious behind the scenes gags. The film's playfulness, especially in the second half, is a delight, especially a spoof on action films and comic book heroes.
Plus Om Shanti Om happily embraces its own set of cliches as our hero and heroine die in part one and get reincarnated in part two. The dance numbers use everything from dumping buckets of water on the stars to wind machines that always manage to blow the stars' hair perfectly out of their faces. There's even an ode to disco dance number.
You still have a chance to see Om Shanti Om and enjoy the whole Bollywood experience. It's far better than any Hollywood holiday fare this Thanksgiving. Check out Goldspirit Films for screenings. But make sure you buy your tickets early.
