Oh My God directed by Umesh Shukla is based on a highly successful Gujrati play named ‘Kanji Virrudh Kanji’ by Bhavesh Mandalia, which was later adapted into Paresh Rawal’s own Hindi play ‘Krishan vs Kanhaiya’.

The film features Paresh Rawal as Kanji Bhai, Akshay Kumar as Lord Krishna, Mithun Chakraborty and Govind Namdeo as godmen.

Story: Oh My God is about Kanji Bhai, a non-believer in god. He owns an antique shop, which also sells idols. He manipulates the faith that people have in god, for his profit. One day, an earthquake hits his town and only his shop gets destroyed. His insurance agency rejects his claim saying ‘it’s an act of god’.

Having lost everything, he takes god to court! But how do you sue someone who you cannot see? He decides to send legal notices to all the high priests and godmen in town. The case catches the attention of the media and also people who have been affected by natural calamities.

So who wins the battle? Kanji Bhai or God? Watch the film to find out.

Oh My God Review

Oh My God is a thought-provoking film that deals with a sensitive subject. In a country that is obsessed with god and various godmen, the film has insightful arguments on age-old beliefs and rituals. In recent times, several godmen have been charged of fraud, but that hasn’t reduced the number of believers. Almost everyday we hear of a new ‘swami’ who is capable of performing miracles and changing lives forever. The film has a simple message for believers in godmen – instead of running around in search of god in temples and various other ashrams, look within, god is within all us.

Sounds preachy? It isn’t. Oh My God is a light-hearted film from start to finish. It is filled with witty dialogues, fabulous performances and well-written characters that make it a fun watch. The courtroom sequences and television chat show (with Kanji Bhai as the guest) are hilarious.

The film has no unnecessary songs (except one item number which goes well with the film). The background music is good. The production values aren’t great, but acceptable for a medium budget film.

As for the negatives, the first half could have been better and put across more convincingly.

Paresh Rawal is brilliant as Kanji Bhai, especially the courtroom scenes where he takes on the lawyers and several highly-influenced godmen. Akshay Kumar does well. The length of his role might disappoint some of his fans. Mithun Chakraborty is fantastic. Govind Namdeo plays his part well. Mahesh Manjrekar as the lawyer is good. Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhu Deva have one well-choreographed song.

Overall, Oh My God was a life-changing experience. The message is simple: be god-loving, not god-fearing. The film is unlikely to be universally accepted, as it deals with a sensitive subject.

Rating: Highly recommended