Thoo Die!

One of the things I seem to have inherited from my mom is my obsession with movies. Not to say that I am half as well versed as a film student or anything, but I’m getting there! My mother and I can carry on long conversations filled with quotes of popular Hindi and English movies. As a matter of fact, we do it quite often and drive everyone else around us pretty much insane. It’s really, really fun!

I just got back from watching a movie that I absolutely LOVED – for the third time. I am fully aware that there are all these so called ‘intellectuals’ out there who thought the movie was frivolous and stupid. But you know what? I honestly believe that one needs a different kind of intelligence to appreciate Om Shanti Om.

Every possible Hindi-film cliché has been spoofed - right from the 'nahiiiiiiiii' from the 'Ma ka Dil' to the over exaggerated hamming scenes. Even existing Bollywood stars have spoofed themselves right from dance steps to infamous lines and traits. But it’s not just the quirky humour. One has to be really obsessed with Bollywood to recognise a young Sooraj R. Barjatya and Govinda…or the similarity of the ending with the older Hindi films, Kaarz and Madhumati. The humour was sometimes loud and obnoxious – like the drunken scenes with SRK and Shreyus Talpade – while at other times the humour was less obvious – like the fact that the director, Farah Khan, slickly named the villain Shiamak (as in, Davar). Call me immature, but I LOVED the south Indian movie shoot. I thought it was pure genius, and I drove my friends all nuts calling them ‘rascala’s for days after watching the movie for the first time!

The movie actually also had a subtle undertone of seriousness…commenting on the not-so-nice underbelly of Bollywood. I liked how it came up that Om Kapoor would be the star, but not the Om Anythingelse.

Om Shanti Om was a movie-freak's dream. The only person I know who possibly enjoyed it more than I did was my mom...but hey, I'm not the one who teaches film, and she has 30 years of movie watching more than me! Oh. And for all you stuck up ‘intelligent’ people out there…I only have one thing to say to you lot.

THOO DIE!