Oh My God

wogma rating: Watch but no rush ^(?)

quick review:

God proposes, man disposes. Oh, My God!! (OMG) is a man's surreal success at creating discontent for himself. If only, OMG didn’t end so suddenly. Yet another fabulous performance by Vinay Pathak.

Director: Saurabh Shukhla

Cast: Vinay Pathak, Divya Dutta

Running time: 95 minutes

Genres: Noir, Philosophy

More Movie Info

What is the aim of life? To find happiness. What makes one happy? Money / fame / power / other smaller things in life. What happens once you've experienced that? You are satisfied temporarily and then magically find something else that could make you happier. Repeat.

This aspect of human nature is explored in Oh, My God!!. The character and situation chosen are exaggerated and thus seem unrealistic in a very bizarre way. And the surreal style of narration in turn brings the metaphors in focus.

Vinay Pathak, the ambitious, common man whose hopes are all attached to a multi-level marketing scheme, not only makes you empathize but also makes you identify with his character. You gradually see yourself replacing his desires with yours, even if you are scoffing at his 'scheme'. Yet, romance is one area where he seems like a misfit. Divya Dutta, his screen-wife didn't look comfortable either. Though, as an individual performer she made her small problems very real.

The one-line story - a man aspires for financial growth and when he actually finds himself in the money, he's not satisfied - sounds very immature, even child-like. But when you realize that this 'aim of life' is actually only symbolic, the experience gets meatier. You could actually replace 'need for money' with anything else and the result would be the same. When you achieve it, you'd complain about the manner in which you got it. If you are okay with that, you'll lose your sleep or even sanity in trying to protect it.

And this is true not only for the loftier desires. Even for a person who is happy with the little things in life, the satisfaction of one little need is only replaced with another little need. And these issues are not over-dramatized, they are just brought in as the story progresses. The dialogues start out very fresh but become preachy lines, albeit masked, by the end.

Yet the events in the last half hour seem like a to-do list - a hurried culmination of what was taking its time to develop. Also, something has gone grossly wrong if a 90-minute movie seems like a drag in parts.

The grainy texture (low-budget induced?) and the lack of straight-regular camera angles increased the amount of patience required while watching the movie. The continuous use of a bottom-up/top-down/wide-angle were only distracting.

It's always exciting to see on screen what others make of their lives and especially attempt the heavy, "what are we here for?" question. And when you have someone like Vinay Pathak to take you through it, it's a pleasure. Yet, the narrative seems incomplete and the quick speech as a farewell note doesn't help either.

- meeta, a part of the audience

15 reviewers^(?) - 1 yays 3 so-so 11 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, by Anurag Kashyap, Passion for Cinema : ...It is complicated, it is many layered, it is a brilliant screenplay and I feel proud that someone put up the money for a film like this , in this country.... full review

So-So, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...Given the fact that OH, MY GOD!! has been shot in 19 days, it doesn't look like a hurried job at all.... full review

So-So, by Janhvi Patel, indya.com : ...It is worth a watch on DVD for its message and Vinay Pathak's performance.... full review

So-So, Movie Talkies : ...Debutant director Sourabh Srivastava makes quite a promising beginning with this movie.... full review

Thumbs down, by Subhash K Jha, All Bollywood : ...The film has good performances, but the narrative is so dry and slow that it fails to hold audience attention for too long.... full review

Thumbs down, by Noyon Jyoti Parasara, AOL INDIA : ...Technically the film looks dated. The camera is inconsistent and you even see jump cuts! What's with the editor?... full review

Thumbs down, by Nikhil Kumar, Apun Ka Choice : ... Oh, My God!! is yet another tale of divine intervention in the life of a protagonist who prays to God but doesn’t want His help at the cost of his morals.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sanjay Ram, Business of Cinema : ...The primary problem with this film is that it tries to be preachy, with a hidden motive and moral woven in it.... full review

Thumbs down, by Abhishek Mande, Buzz18 : ...Oh, My God!! (OMG) is a film that bases itself on the premise 'be careful of what you wish for, lest it comes true'.... full review

Thumbs down, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...With OH MY GOD Vinay Pathak has nullified whatever interest he has garnered for his brand of cinema.... full review

Thumbs down, by Khalid Mohamed, Hindustan Times : ...Shabbily shot and replete with repetitive situations... full review

Thumbs down, by Goher Iqbal Punn, Radio Sargam : ...The direction is poor. The cinematography is okay. Music is mundane.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sampurn, real bollywoood : ...Finding one good reason to watch this film is real frustrating as what could have been an enjoyable comedy ends up being a sheer waste of time for various reasons.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...You wonder if God could sue the makers for representing him as rather dense—his ploys for giving the money to Rajendra couldn’t fool even a kid.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ... Nice morals, neat message, tedious film...Oh my God, is that really Vinay Pathak and Sourabh Shrivasta!... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

1 readers - 0 yays 1 so-so 0 nays

So-So, by Consumer Goods

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Plot Summary

Rajendra Dubey (Vinay Pathak) wants to get rich using a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme. He, like all MLM salespeople is not very popular. But, God takes a liking to him and gives him a whole lot of money. Is he happy, now?

What Worked

Rajendra throwing away the brochures by the end of the movie, those which were the aim of his life at the beginning.
The mouse trap analogy in the song during the end credits.

What did not

Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here

How come there's no one in the temple whenever Rajendra prays there.
The item number during the end credits.

Nitty-Gritty

This section lists things that I think are not important to the overall impact of the movie. In most cases, it could be explained away by something like, "we noticed the glitch after the scene was shot and there were schedule/budget issues and thus we could not re-shoot it". I like giving the makers the benefit of doubt, but I am amused nevertheless. Hopefully, they will tickle you too.

Continuity was off in the shaving cream patches on Divya Dutta's face.
Again continuity was off with Divya Dutta's scarf (dupatta). In the scene where Divya Dutta is talking to Vinay Pathak when he just enters his home.

Parental Guidance:

Violence: None
Nudity & Sexual content: None
Concept: Philosophical questions might completely bore kids.
General Look and Feel: It has a dull tinge to go with the serious issue the movie is trying to address.