Writer: Janak

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Watch this if you liked: "Dil To Pagal Hain", "Kaho Naa Pyar Hai", and "Main Hoo Na".

2007's most anticipated Bollywood film, "Om Shanti Om", comes to our shores finally. The reigning Bollywood King (Shahrukh Khan) has a huge following of fans around the world so it won't come as a surprise that his films are very eagerly awaited here.

"Om Shanti Om" tells the story of Om Prakash (Shahrukh Khan), a struggling junior artiste in the late 70s who dreams of becoming a big star. He also fantasises of meeting his dream girl - Shantipriya (Deepika Padukee), a famous superstar during the era. When Om finally gets the chance to get closer to his dream girl, he finds out that Shantipriya is actually having an affair with Mukesh (Arjun Rampal), the producer of her upcoming film title "Om Shanti Om". So it is actually a movie within a movie!

On the other hand, Mukesh is only obsessed with producing and completing the film, in the hope that he will be the most successful producer of his time. Although having financial difficulties, Mukesh does not let anything stand in the way of his dreams as he plans to marry a rich man's daughter to solve the problem. When Shantipriya finds out the truth, she informs him that she is pregnant with his child. Desperate, he kills her and hides the evidence.

Om Prakash tries to save Shantipriya but ends up failing and getting killed in the process.

After 30 years, Om is reborn as Om Kapoor (Shahrukh Khan) but is still haunted by his past. As he finds out the truth, dark secrets of Shantipriya's murder begin to uncover. Will Om be able to know what actually happened to him and Shantipriya? Will Om's unfulfilled dreams come true? This is where the movie explains that sometimes one lifetime is never enough for dreams to come true.

"Om Shanti Om" daringly relives the 70s era as the director, Farah Khan, brings back the well-missed trend. From make-up to costumes, props to production sets - these little details flawlessly transports the actors and viewers back into that era. In short, the cinematography was very well handled. Credit should be given for the special effects as well. The director combined old movie scenes with current ones to give it a vibrant look.

In spite of this, the storyline and plot were very predictable and the film gets long winded from the second half onwards. As for the stars, newcomer Deepika Padukee is very easy on the eyes and it won't be a surprise if she starts getting more film offers soon. Arjun Rampal does fine here and finally, Shahrukh Khan is no short of his usual best.

The interesting thing about "Om Shanti Om" is that for the first time in Bollywood, there will be more than 35 superstars (old and new ones) appearing as themselves in a film. Also this is Farah Khan's (famous Bollywood choreographer) second film with Shahrukh Khan after "Main Hoo Naa" in 2004. The good news for girls is that this is the first time Shahrukh Khan bares his six-pack in a film! He trained and built his body for six months just before the first song in the movie, "Dard-E-Disco".

Overall, despite a poor storyline and tiresome plot, this film is still worth watching and spending your money, if only for the 35 odd superstars who made cameo appearances. For Shahrukh Khan fans, miss this movie at your own peril. Next up is "Robo - 2008" by the famous director of "Sivaji The Boss", Shankar. It will feature Shahrukh as a robot!

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008