OMG-OH MY GOD IS GRIPPING [3 star]

For years, Hindi film audiences have seen a variety of folks visiting
temples. Ailing mothers beg God to bring back their children, sons put
their egos aside to pray for their mothers’ health and couples sanctify
their relationship in the presence of the Almighty for a happily-ever-
after ending to their love story. Pious viewers might turn up their
noses at the story of an atheist who publically denounces God but save that face, as this one doesn’t disappoint.

What’s it about?
Based on a Gujarati play called ‘Kishen vs Kanhaiya’, director Umesh
Shukla’s ‘OMG Oh My God!’ is gripping. Kanji Lalji Mehta (Paresh Rawal)
is a Gujarati businessman who sells antiques, that even ironically
include idols of gods. His public criticism of all activities religious is
shaken (quite literally) when his shop is reduced to a pile of debris by a
massive earthquake. The insurance company refuses to cover the losses incurred, as the incident is classified as an ‘Act of God’. A furious
Kanji then decides to file a case against God himself, prompting the
Almighty himself (Akshay Kumar) to come down to earth to reason
with Kanji.
The film’s real hero is the perfect casting of Paresh Rawal who as a middle class Gujarati salesman, is outstanding. Even with a star as big
as Akshay, Rawal manages to stand his ground. Even with the absurd
case that serves as a background, the screenplay is witty.
Mithun Chakraborty is only intially funny as the feminine swami,
whose hand seems to be superglued to his lips. However after a while,
his TV-style swami act is disapointing, since the other characters have well-etched roles.
Akshay as Krishna Vasudev Yadav aka God is hardly a sight for sore
eyes and his part seems like an extended cameo. His fancy bike
reminds one of Sanjay Dutt from the debacle called ‘Vaah! Life Ho Toh
Aisi’, while his khiladi style stunts seem unncessary to the role.
Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhu Deva’s item song ‘Go Go Govinda’ is entertaining and woven nicely into the script, unlike in other movies,
where the song stands out like a sore thumb. The proceedings get a
little messy in the second half with shoddy camera work, souring the
overall experience of the film. Also predictably, the film gets a little
preachy in the climax. What to do? If you’re waiting for a sign from God to book tickets, take our rating as
the indication you’ve been expecting. Go watch this one, it’s
entertaining.

in.com rating: 3/5

www.in.com/news/entertainment/omg-oh-my-god-is-gripping-50135508-in-1.html