Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who made PG Wodehouse come alive in India, still manages to influence movie-makers, the good ones esp., whether or not they're aware of that fact. One of the happiest movies (yes, a movie, a work of art, can also be a happy thingummy) I've seen after Sally Hawkins live it up in the eponymous 'Happy-Go- Lucky', 'Om Shanti Oshana' (Or, 'Ohm Shanthi Oshaana') is light, vibrant and breezy all through, right from its beginning to (oh why did it have to) end.
Evocative of 'Guddi', without all (OK, most) the clichés that one paraded around with, this is a one of the best coming-of-age romantic comedies I've seen in any language since a long time, that's just so FRESH!
The movie, for some, might seem to belong just to Nazriya Nazim, who owns every scene she's in, and she's in every damn scene. Its completely about her, and when she's not in frame, she's in our heads (ahem, she's also the narrator). Believe me, I ain't complainin', not one bit. However, its not just her(s). The director, Jude Anthany (not a typo) Joseph, owns every frame he's conceptualized, and shot, along with having the other character come-to-life: one of the most inspiring soundtracks ever rendered (Shaan Rahman, returning after a strong, yet a tad unoriginal work in 'Thira', that I've reviewed here earlier). I simply can't get it outa my head, and am not sure I wanna.
And oh, the creep factor, that could've 'crept' in, doesn't. Not to me anyways. Nivin Pauly is serviceable, the strong/silent type, that every woman just falls for, and none of the supporting characters falter even a bit. The surprises keep coming, and the lead's flights of fancy are sequences to look forward to, while also savoring everything that comes in-between. Fully fleshed out characters seem as easy to Joseph as ripping his shirt off is to a Bollywood dumb-hunk who shall remain nameless for now.
This one's pitch-perfect - Do Not miss it at your local multiplex - this one's having a wide release too, so I'm sure it's playing in most cities all over the world. And yes, it has subtitles, but you won't need them, since its all about lives that few among us are fortunate to lead, and for the rest of us, we have Nazriya Nazim's rendering of rainbows.
