OMG: Oh My God! (2012)

Sadly Over-hyped

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Kanji Lalji Mehta (Paresh Rawal), a middle-class atheist Hindu owns a shop of Hindu idols and antiques in Mumbai. He is cursed by Siddheshwar Maharaj when he stopped his son from playing dahi handi. A low-intensity earthquake hits the city, and Kanji's shop is the only shop that is destroyed.Next day at the insurance office, Kanji and his neighbour-assistant Mahadev learn that the disaster claim does not cover any damage caused by natural calamities classified under "Act of God". Running out of options, Kanji decides to file a lawsuit against God but fails to find a lawyer for such a lawsuit. Finally, he meets Hanif Qureshi (Om Puri) and his daughter (Puja Gupta), a poor Muslim lawyer family. Qureshi, a disabled man, helps him file the case as Kanji decides to fight on his own. Legal notices are sent to the insurance company as well as to religious priests, Siddheshwar Maharaj (Govind Namdeo), Gopi Maiyya (Poonam Jhawer) and their group's founder, Leeladhar Swamy (Mithun Chakraborty) summoning them to the court as representatives of God on earth.During the preliminary hearing, opposition lawyer Sardesai (Mahesh Manjrekar) asks the judge to dismiss the case. But Kanji points out that religious groups claim to represent God on Earth and speak on his behalf. Hence, they are answerable for his actions. The Judge agrees and the court accepts the case. However, Kanji soon finds himself trapped amongst armed fundamentalists, with his mortgage bank occupying the house, and his wife leaving him. In all instances, Kanji is rescued by Krishna Vasudev Yadav (Akshay Kumar), who claims to be a real estate agent, rides a hot-shot motorbike. Krishna buys Kanji's house from the bank, but allows Kanji to stay with him.The lawsuit causes a public outcry. As Kanji and Krishna watch this on TV, Krishna advises him to go to the media and present his views to the public. Kanji's interview receives wide coverage and public opinion swings in his favour. Meanwhile, hundreds of people, whose insurance claims were rejected due to "Act Of God" show up at Hanif Qureshi's house and join the lawsuit. Kanji agrees to fight on behalf of all of them. In the next court session, Catholic priests and Muslim Mullahs are also summoned to the court as defendants. However, lawyer Sardesai points out that Kanji has no document that can prove the disaster was an "Act of God". The judge orders Kanji to present a written proof that will support his claim.

The story has a very strong message which every person especially an Indian must see and understand . Blind faith and real devotion is different . This story may actually prove that majority of people who actually devote to God are not really following the true path of religion . Paresh Rawal gives an amazing performance supported by Akshay Kumar . This story is set in humor and drama will keep you interested till the end and will stay with you forever. It is one of the few good movie made in Bollywood . I recommend people to watch it. There are things in this that some people may have difference of opinion but those people must grow up a bit .

Through the movie - Oh My God, its director (also the writer) Umesh Shukla has conveyed a beautiful message that we should believe in God but not in blind superstitions The exploitation of innocent people by persons who claim themselves to be God-men is depicted in a beautiful way. The highlight of the film is that there is a perfect mix of comedy and philosophy and it completely involves each and every one in the movie till the end.The story revolves around a middle class atheist shopkeeper - Kanji Lalji Mehta (played by Paresh Rawal) who loses his shop owing to an earthquake. Kanji then goes to claim his insurance but the insurance agents reject his claim saying that his shop was destroyed in an earthquake which is supposed to be 'Act of God' and hence he can't claim the insurance. Being deprived of his income and running out of options, Kanji finally files a lawsuit against God and demands the religious heads who acquire money in the name of God to bear his insurance loss. Legal notices are sent to the insurance company as well as the religious heads and the trio of persons who claim themselves to be God men - Siddheswar Maharaj (played by Govind Namadeo), Gopi Maiyya (played by Poonam Jhawer) and Leeladhar Swamy (played by Mithun Chakraborty) get involved in the story and this lawsuit of God becomes an issue of national interest. The religious heads try to kill Kanji and thats where Lord Krishna(played by Akshay Kumar) comes to his rescue and the remaining movie is a depiction of how He helps Kanji in his legal fight with the religious heads and the message He wants to convey the entire world through Kanji. Totally, the movie re-emphasizes the old proverb - 'GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES' through a plot filled with humour and sarcasm.Coming to the performance of the actors, it was an outstanding performance from Paresh Rawal in the lead role and Mithun Chakraborty was also equally good in the negative role. As usual, Akshay Kumar was impressive with his role as a modern God. Other aspects such as dialogues, screenplay and background music were also good and I definitely say that it is a must watch movie for each and everyone. Finally, I would say that in this era where nine out of ten films are purely commercial, it is our duty to encourage these kind of movies which would boost the confidence of directors like Umesh Shukla and help them to come up with more innovative movies in the future which would be a blessing for Bollywood.

When you look at the limited number of good Hindi movies produced in 2012, this one stands out.. a good story line..Very good acting.. Akshay Kumar was nominated for some awards as a Supporting Actor.. But Paresh Rawal is the main stay of the movie and he has done excellent acting.. There are few in the industry, who could have performed in a more authentic way..He is one of those actors who fits into any character with ease and finesse..Only..the length of the movie is a bit longthe movie does not give credit to its inspirational source 2001 English movie " The Man Who Sued God " with Billy Connlly and Judy Davis..