Om Shanti Om is considered one of the most celebrated films in Bollywood entertainment. It became the highest grossing Hindi film of the year when it was released in 2007. The film is a love letter to Bollywood with its nostalgic references, chart-topping soundtrack, star studded cast, and fantastical storytelling. It stars the named "King of Bollywood" Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in her debut role. All this lead to Om Shanti Om winning the award for Best production design at the 55th national film awards and becoming a defining Bollywood film of the 2000s. All of this is under the directorial leadership of Farah Khan.
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| Farah Khan on set with lead actor Shah Rukh Khan |
Om Shanti Om was only Khan’s second film after releasing her directorial debut with Main Hoon Na in 2004. Khan has been on the creative team for multiple other creative works and it was while she was working on the musical Bombay Dreams that the idea for Om Shanti Om came to her. She felt that the concept of the musical, a poor boy becoming a star, was unrealistic and this led her to add one of the biggest twists of the story: reincarnation. The movie focuses on a young struggling actor named Om and the way that he does become famous is after he dies and is reborn as the son of a successful actor. Khan created a fun and welcoming environment on set with many actors speaking fondly of her after their time on the film. Many lines in the movie were not in the script and were improvised by the actors instead showcasing Khan's willingness to listen to all voices apart of the project.
Om Shanti Om is an incredible genre-bending tale that manages to combine romance, drama, action, and comedy all into one musical masterpiece. The vibrant colors and staging gives the film a whimsical appeal that brings fun while the underlying tragedy of the story remains. The music and dance of the film captures the audience with its elaborate group numbers, romantic duets, and heartbreaking motifs. In The Creative Spark, author Augustin Fuentes writes on page 226 “We also dance. The movement of bodies is rhythmic, and sometimes arrhythmic, fashion…can be used to relieve stress, to flirt, to reinforce social bonds, and to tell stories.” both dance and music are used effectively in all of these ways in Om Shanti Om.
This is a great post! I love this movie because it is very personal to me. I come from an Indian background and my great uncle, Javed Aktar, wrote the lyrics for this movie's soundtrack! I really liked your point about how the music and dance come together as a part of the story line to enhance the emotions felt by the characters. I actually got the chance to attend a screening of one of my great uncle's documentaries at the South Asian Film Festival in Chicago and I learned how the significance of music in Bollywood films is rooted in India's history as Indian cinema evolved from older theatrical traditions where dancing and singing were the main modes of storytelling. I am really glad that you enjoyed this movie and the unique plot and story-telling that comes from Bollywood!
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