Unilateral Competition

The cat is finally out of the bag, and it is a clean sweep for King Khan, as OSO has emerged as the clear winner in the highly anticipated and even more highly hyped Diwali clash of the titans. After watching both the biggies, and being someone who was dying to watch Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya, I have but a few questions for Sanjay and a few thank-yous for Farah Khan.

To begin with, Saawariya seemed like a string of meaningless beautiful pictures. Several reviews have been written for the film, and the general sentiment is unanimous about the film being a big disappointment (BIGGEST for me, considering I expect the best from a Bhansali film). What amused me the most with Saawariya as a film, is that why did it need so many sub-plots?

In a desperate attempt to catapult Ranbir as the new age Raj Kapoor, the track from the legend’s Anari has been recreated with the Zohra Sehgal story and her loneliness, while the Devdas hangover still haunts the plot of Saawariya, which gets respite through Rani Mukherjee, who should ideally stop expecting words of praise for performances like these, come on Rani, this is the least that we expect of you, please try and go beyond it. Also, not to forget the fact that the Russian theatre in the original story makes way for Mugal-E-Azam, as Salman and Sonam romance amidst the crowds, and take full advantage of the fact that her grandmother is blind. While Salman’s character is extremely brief, to say the least, the under-development of his character leads to Sonam’s character being desperate and opportunistic, and this completely tarnishes the innocence which the character of Nastenka (Sonam’s counterpart in the original Russian story) has. Not to forget the fact that Salman has a meatier role in the promos, and hence his fans get out completely disappointed.

Technically brilliant though, the biggest roadblock in Saawariya’s march to success is the fact that it was promoted as one musical joy ride for the festive season. The product and promotion are so unrelated, that it is actually like devising the campaign for a wedding gown, and selling the funeral robes instead. The consumer will definitely feel cheated. However, what one can’t discount is the fact that Ranbir can make it big in the days to come, and it is his innocence and modesty which will take him places, while Sonam will have to struggle far more than this, to achieve a fraction of the legacy with which she entered the industry.

In my opinion, it the sad taste that Saawariya leaves in your mouth after the final reel has ended in the festive mood, which makes you relish the Masala of Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om the most. Needless to add that the film has its own merits, and has perhaps got much more than what it takes to set the box-office by fire, OSO fills in the void which Saawariya creates and this is where it stands to benefit from the competitive hype. Even as a standalone release, OSO has the blockbuster tag emblazoned on it, which no Saawariya could have taken anyway. It is a kick-ass movie from the first frame to the last, and as one of my acquaintances rightly put it, it mayn’t be an unmissable, brilliant film, but if and when you do watch the film, you are sure to think that this is perhaps the best way to celebrate Diwali. As a brand, OSO delivers whatever it promises, and this is precisely its USP. There are no claims of being an intellectually stimulating, thought provoking film, and brilliant directorial craftsmanship. But the film is like a piping hot dish of chaat, which can be savoured and savoured some more.

What makes OSO an absolute delight to watch, is the passion with which it has been made. Director Farah Khan has poured in her mind, body, heart and soul in the making of the film, and her pure love and sheer dedication for the Hindi film industry comes across in each and every frame of the film, then be it the scenes wherein the actual shooting is shown, or then the eponymous star-struck title song, which will be remembered as one of the most amazing visual delights in the years to come; an absolute ten on ten to the lady, for the honesty and the purity of her product.

Any and every director to be will only look up to her and her undying passion which has enabled her to craft a film, straight out of her heart. Kudos to the effort! What also adds to the merits, is SRK and the rest of his gang, whose performances are histrionic counterparts of Farah’s passion. A no-brainer at times, and a Masala forever, OSO is a carnival of emotions, happiness, joy, fun, sorrow, and most importantly Bollywood, which has perhaps never been so very well-reflected in any of the previous films, which are dished out with an alarming regularity.

And finally, when we now look at the competition, one can easily say that perhaps the hype was the only saving grace for Saawariya, else it would have had a silent birth and a quick demise at the box-office. As for OSO, the general festive mood spoiling taste of Saawariya will only add to its merits and thereby its commercial prospects.