OMG, what a delightful film!
Paresh Rawal stars as Kanji Lal, an atheist businessman, who, ironically, owns a store that sells religious memorabilia - from statues of Krishna, which have 'miraculously' risen from Mathura, to vials of 'Ganga-jal' which have been refilled from the faucet - everything that gullible hordes will buy to ensure their place in heaven! His wife, on the other hand, is a typically devout Hindu woman, who frequently deplores her husband's lack of piety. When his store is destroyed by a freak accident, it does seem to be a form of divine retribution. Kanji Lal, however, is undeterred - he has an insurance policy - until his claim is denied by the insurance company citing the 'Act of God' clause. With his livelihood at stake, Kanji Lal decides to sue God...
The premise of the film might sound heretical, but strangely enough, the message it imparts is totally different. By means of his lawsuit, Kanji Lal challenges all the ridiculous superstitions that pass for religion today - from offering hair at the Tirupati shrine to pouring milk over Shiva-lingas to even lighting candles at churches and the chaddars at dargahs! The tone is very light-hearted, and the arguments put forth are logical and believable - it is not religion that is being targeted, but its questionable customs! And through all his research, Kanji Lal himself comes closer to finding the true meaning of religion!
Paresh Rawal absolutely owns this film - what a fine actor he is when taking a break from mindless comedies! Of course, the dialogue - the witty one-liners and repartee - contribute greatly to his performance! The film is weighed down in the end by heavy melodrama, but Rawal keeps the audience engaged. The coterie of godmen led by Mithun - another excellent performance - are too obviously evil, but that didn't stop me from rooting even more for Kanji Lal! Akshay Kumar, in my opinion, was the surprise package of the film! Letting Rawal do all the heavy lifting, AK is in fine form as 'Krishna Vasudev Yadav'. Right from his entry, twirling a peacock feather key chain, he makes a very modern and suave Krishna!
The film ends with a rousing message about God being everywhere around us - and not just in places of worship! I think this would have had more of an impact if AK had not been so obviously divine - I would have liked to be just as surprised as Kanji Lal by the revelation of AK's true identity. Also, I would have liked to see a more balanced debate - a truly learned man to offer a rebuttal instead of the vein-popping Govind Namdeo - surely, we do have holy men for whom religion is not merely a profession? But in the end, this is popular cinema - so a bit of exaggeration is not really out of place!
In attacking the whited sepulchers of organized religion in such a gently persuasive way, OMG gives voice to the frustration and repugnance that so many of us have towards ceremonial procedures and rituals. I truly believe that the true form of worship is compassion and empathy - and no amount of prayer will measure up to a helping hand offered to a person in need! So, go ahead, enjoy the film - but also take a moment to contemplate the place of religion in your life, to ponder what you believe in, to step closer to finding your God!
Paresh Rawal stars as Kanji Lal, an atheist businessman, who, ironically, owns a store that sells religious memorabilia - from statues of Krishna, which have 'miraculously' risen from Mathura, to vials of 'Ganga-jal' which have been refilled from the faucet - everything that gullible hordes will buy to ensure their place in heaven! His wife, on the other hand, is a typically devout Hindu woman, who frequently deplores her husband's lack of piety. When his store is destroyed by a freak accident, it does seem to be a form of divine retribution. Kanji Lal, however, is undeterred - he has an insurance policy - until his claim is denied by the insurance company citing the 'Act of God' clause. With his livelihood at stake, Kanji Lal decides to sue God...
The premise of the film might sound heretical, but strangely enough, the message it imparts is totally different. By means of his lawsuit, Kanji Lal challenges all the ridiculous superstitions that pass for religion today - from offering hair at the Tirupati shrine to pouring milk over Shiva-lingas to even lighting candles at churches and the chaddars at dargahs! The tone is very light-hearted, and the arguments put forth are logical and believable - it is not religion that is being targeted, but its questionable customs! And through all his research, Kanji Lal himself comes closer to finding the true meaning of religion!
Paresh Rawal absolutely owns this film - what a fine actor he is when taking a break from mindless comedies! Of course, the dialogue - the witty one-liners and repartee - contribute greatly to his performance! The film is weighed down in the end by heavy melodrama, but Rawal keeps the audience engaged. The coterie of godmen led by Mithun - another excellent performance - are too obviously evil, but that didn't stop me from rooting even more for Kanji Lal! Akshay Kumar, in my opinion, was the surprise package of the film! Letting Rawal do all the heavy lifting, AK is in fine form as 'Krishna Vasudev Yadav'. Right from his entry, twirling a peacock feather key chain, he makes a very modern and suave Krishna!
The film ends with a rousing message about God being everywhere around us - and not just in places of worship! I think this would have had more of an impact if AK had not been so obviously divine - I would have liked to be just as surprised as Kanji Lal by the revelation of AK's true identity. Also, I would have liked to see a more balanced debate - a truly learned man to offer a rebuttal instead of the vein-popping Govind Namdeo - surely, we do have holy men for whom religion is not merely a profession? But in the end, this is popular cinema - so a bit of exaggeration is not really out of place!
In attacking the whited sepulchers of organized religion in such a gently persuasive way, OMG gives voice to the frustration and repugnance that so many of us have towards ceremonial procedures and rituals. I truly believe that the true form of worship is compassion and empathy - and no amount of prayer will measure up to a helping hand offered to a person in need! So, go ahead, enjoy the film - but also take a moment to contemplate the place of religion in your life, to ponder what you believe in, to step closer to finding your God!
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