Om Shanti Om is a grand affair

By: Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaFM
Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Noor-e-haq sham-ae-ilahi ko mita sakta hai kaun Jiska haami hai khuda usko mita sakta hai kaun

Alright, so the hardcore Urdu couplet that kick starts the promo of Farah Khan"s Om Shanti Om rewinds you back to the sixties social, a la Yash Chopra"s Waqt where the poetic meaning forewarned us, as to what is going to follow. Well, it goes without saying that the premise of this hugely mounted entertainer has movies as its backdrop. Shah Rukh is a junior artiste with star-gaze as his only respite; while ravishing Deepika Padukone is the proverbial amply-endowed star of the sixties-seventies, with a smile that kisses her dimples like the dewdrops sliding on a nubile flower petal.

The dream girl is off to a premiere of her big ticket flick while love-struck SRK (in a check coat) is driven away by guards forcefully. Montages of transition follow. A convertible biggie car stops with a screech. 'STAR" shines on its number plate. SRK has a Filmfare award in his hand while Padukone draped in a Kanjeevram sleeveless sari dances away to glory on a big dhol (obviously it"s an ode to Sridevi of Himmatwala). Helen is not to be left behind, as totally transformed Deepika oozes out of a life like cage draped in the Monika ensemble. Phew!

SRK on his part showcases many of the characters that he has played in his career. There are traces of Raj-Rahul as he dances in a lavish party, sings the open-chested romantic duets, rides a macho bike, the blood smeared Baazigar who also dabbles in Devdas for a while. There"s a Shah Rukh Khan voiceover that takes this ninety second promo forward proclaiming adherence to escapist cinema. Yes, no bad endings for this one. “Picture abhi khatam nahin hui hai," he says in an inebriated tone. Well right!

The Om Shanti Om first look promo is exciting, grand, opulent and surely spells magnificence. All you guys who missed SRK"s star-power in Chak De India, it seems the king won"t disappoint you in this one. Deepika Padukone is undoubtedly the find of the decade. She Rocks! In fact she overpowers everything that comes in her way. Only disappointment was Shreyas Talpade"s hackneyed hairstyle. A let down one must say. Even Shah Rukh"s Devdas act left something to be desired. Nevertheless, the promo makes you very curious as to what the whole film must be like. Let the fireworks begin....