Dhara Patel 10/3/2022 THEO 2710 Film Analysis: Om Shanti Om “For some dreams, one lifetime is not enough.” This quote is from Om Shanti Om which is a Hindi-Bollywood movie that was filmed and produced in 2007 by director Farah Khan. Om Shanti Om was released on November 9th, 2007 and stared famous Bollywood actors such as Shah Rukh Khan who plays as character Om Prakash Makhiji/Om Kapoor and actress Deepika Padukone who plays as character Shanti, and Arjun Rampal who plays as character Mukesh ‘Mike’ Mehra. Farah Khan directed several films with Shah Rukh Khan also known as ‘SRK’ at the time that depicted life in common Indian cities and showed the dynamic between rich and poor people. In Om Shanti Om, there are several references to this type of power dynamic and how Indian culture/religion plays a role in it also. Om Shanti Om was released on the occasion of Diwali which is the festival of lights and earned 149 crores (Indian Rupees) worldwide making Om Shanti Om the highest-grossing Hindi film in 2007. This movie is a tale of two star-crossed lovers, Omand Shanti. Om Prakash (OMP) is from a small town who has two dreams, one of becoming an actor one day and another to marry his lover Shanti. Shanti (Deepika Padukone) is an upcoming actress in the movie. Om (OMP) is a huge fan of Shanti. Om Shanti Om is a movie where we will see the connection of how one’s life is reincarnated. The movie talks about a lot of the Hindu doctrines such as reincarnation, death, and Karma. To achieve her son's dream, Om’s mother ties a string on her son’s wrist that she got from a priest, to bless him that his dream will one day become true. In the religion of Hinduism, the string on the wrist symbolizes blessing and protection for the person. It is usually tied during “pujas' ' in other words prayers. The string on the wrist represents Lord Vishnu during the incarnation of Vamana tied a thread on the hands of King Bali to grant him immorality and rule the netherworlds. Om’s mother ties the thread to her son as a way of telling him God is with you every step of the way in achieving your dream of being a doctor because she wasn’t able to become a doctor due to other circumstances. Going forward into the movie we find Om Prakash talking to his friend “Pappu '' about an upcoming acting audition that he signed up for. In the movie we can see examples of stereotyping when Om’s friend tells him he is never going to be an actor because of his last name. Pappu askes Om to change his last name. “...That’s like a hero's name. Kapoor! Powerful name, Om. Now do as I say. Get rid of Makhija from your name and use Kumar, Kapoor, Or Khanna and then see how your life rolls in just one take!” (7:06) This emphasizes the stereotypes that Indian culture puts on an individual’s name and how it determines whether you’re rich or poor. It is like comparing your last name to your caste essentially. There have been several studies, more like stereotypes, that people have done over time as last names in India have evolved and where it once originated from. People have compared the last names to the caste system to differentiate how wealthy or poor you are. In an article on Kapoor Caste, it states that it is a Punjabi Khatri sub-caste. The article stated “Kapoor family is a famous Indian family… Many generations of this family have contributed very significantly to the development of Hindi films.”. Most Famous actors in the Bollywood industry have the last name of “Kapoor ''. You can clearly see the stereotype portrayed in the movie as his friend is telling him to change his last name to gain fame. Throughout the movie the director makes an emphasis on “Om” and “Shanti” and the meaning behind their name and the importance of their character in the movie. She shows emphasis by having dramatic sounds during intense scenes and has them acting fierce. For instance, to have her audience know the meaning of “Om Prakash '' she explains it in a scene when Om is talking to his mom and tells her he wants to change his name. She is not happy about him asking to change his name due to the meanings behind his name. Oms mom later in the scene explains what Om means. “Whenever we say Om, we find the embrace of God. When we say Prakash, we make the dark go away as Prakash means light.” (7:49) To show the dramatic scene the director plays an intense lullaby music in the back of Om and his mom conversing. She also has the cast acting with extreme head and hand movement to show the dramatic effect. The name/Symbol Om is a sacred sound considered by many ancient philosophical texts to be the sound of the universe, encompassing all other sounds. Om is the prime symbol of Hinduism as the symbol/name Om is important in a Hindu household. In the Times of India article, it states that “Om is the highest sacred symbol in Hinduism. The word Om is so powerful that this single word can produce powerful and positive vibrations which allows you to feel the whole universe.” In the movie you can see Om Prakash (SRK) having the Om symbol on his wrist as a way of showing the remembrance of God and power. In the movie they used the Om symbol as a backdrop connecting to pictures of Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva when Om drunkenly rehearses him becoming an award-winning star. Shanti on the other hand means Peace. When people usually say “Om” in prayers they also say “Shanti'' as an invocation for peace or an invocation of God and is usually chanted three times to become “Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.” Essentially Om Shanti Om roughly translates to “Peace Be With You.” In an article named “The Special Meaning of Chanting “Shanti Three Times” by Ram, it states that “Shanti is repeated thrice for peace in the body, mind, and emotions. When Shanti is canted for the first time, it signifies the purification of the physical body. The second chant is to bring peace and calmness to the mind. The third Shanti is to provide relief to the individual from constant negativity.” A fairy-tale romance sparks as Om courts Shanti until Om hears a heated conversation between Shanti and film producer Mukesh Mehra, in which she tells him that she is pregnant and demands that he publicly acknowledge their secret marriage. Mukesh refuses and claims that this act would end their careers as no one is going to invest in a film where there is a married heroine. Again, here we can the stereotyping between women and men in the film industry. If the women were to get married, then she wouldn’t be able to take many parts in films. Same goes for women who are pregnant also. In Neha Das article on “Bollywood does not allow for a ‘pregnant’ pause,” she states a controversy between another actress named Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar an over his claim that she can no longer take apart of the movie as she is pregnant and they can present her as an actress. “A few years back, there was a huge controversy between Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar over his claim he signed his upcoming film Heroine with the actress but the truth that she was in the family way, was hidden from him. This came as a great shock to him because an artiste who was pregnant could not act in film and could not be presented as a heroine.” In comparison to the movie right after filmmaker Mukesh Mehra found out about Shanti being pregnant, he lights the film on fire, locking Shanti within it. These types of stereotypes and controversies have been going on in the Bollywood film industry for some time. Farah Khan makes the connection to this film letting the audience know about the stereotype. Om tries to save Shanti but is unable to as they are both separated as an explosion throws him away from the building. Om after the explosion, is laying on the road outside the studio witnessing the fire consume the set and his love. He suddenly gets hit by a speeding car and eventually dies. At this point in the movie, we witness the death of both the hero (Om) and heroine (Shanti). For some we might believe the film to end but there’s a whole another twist to the film. Om Shanti Om is not just a tragic love story, it is also a tale of reincarnation. In Hindu scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, it teaches the doctrine of rebirth, emphasizing that the individual’s soul goes through numerous lifetimes before attaining liberation. According to an article called “Reincarnation in Hinduism”, it states “…reincarnation is essentially another chance of life, there are some important things to keep in mind. Good intentions and actions lead to a good future while bad intentions and actions create the opposite outcome.” This statement plays an important role in how one is reincarnated. In Hinduism there is no such thing as heaven or hell. At Hindu funerals the body is cremated since burning of the body helps release spirits from a person. The Hindu scriptures also teach the doctrine of Karma, the underlying idea that one’s actions and attachments in this lifetime determines the condition of the next birth. Karna is the universal causal law by which good or bad actions determine the future modes of an individual’s existence. A person’s final thoughts determine the Hindu seeking of liberation that is instructed to meditate to God at the moment of the death. In the movie at the scene where he is dying, we can see a pregnant woman being rolled into the hospital at the same time. (1:09:14) As Om is lying on the stretcher and the doctor is trying to revive his body, a montage of quick cuts of Shanti dancing and smiling are interspersed with cuts of her screaming as she burns to death. Even in that moment all he can think about is Shanti. Om’s love for Shanti and his aspiration for vengeance, his death is not the end, but the beginning of the second half of the film. Thirty years later, the famous actor Om Kapoor, or OK proclaimed his acceptance speech for the Filmfare best actor: “I have wanted you so much and so badly, it’s true, /That the entire universe has conspired for me to get you.” OK, who was born with a scar in the shape of the Hindu symbol “Om” on his wrist in the very exact spot where Om Prakash had the symbolled tattooed. He is later shooting a new film at the same studio where Shanti died and now is experiencing flashbacks. When OK arrives at the studio to film, he has déjà vu of the place. The famous song “Om Shanti Om” is playing, and everyone is dancing, including OK. Farah Khan did an incredible job in featuring a total of 31 actors from the era into that song including Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, etc. As the song is coming to an end, he is later introduced to an individual that has gray hair which is Mukesh at the Filmfare ceremony. This is the moment were OK is accepting his rebirth and realizes that it’s his karmic destiny to pursue justice for his love Shanti’s murder. After his realization, OK sings to Mukesh, “The circle of life, death, and karma is well known. Throughout the film there were connections to his old life and his new life. One of them was that OK had a fear of fire. Since his last life he died from fire in his new life OK has an enormous fear of fire. (1:57:12) OK confirms making a move with Mukesh and it is called “Om Shanti Om.” The last thirty minutes of the movie we hear the song “Dastaan-E-Om”, it is OK singing the lyrics retelling of what happened to Shanti and what Mukesh did. “You listen to this tale too… The story goes…That the man whom she loved was unfaithful…For loving a stone-hearted man and trusting him… she ended up losing her life…A tale of a cold-bloodedness… that everyone calls… Om Shanti Om… when the girl was killed someone did reach there but he tried to save her but it was too late…Love shed tears on his death…The story goes… That the young boy who saw the killer…Has had a reincarnation…Listen to the life’s tale…Death is looming…over the killer… This is a life tale of Life, Death and Karma called Om Shanti Om!” Later on after the song we see Mukesh running after Shanti trying to catch her but he gets hit by the chandelier in the same spot he buried Shanti. Om Shanti Om provided the audience a thought-provoking introduction to the Hindu doctrine of karma and rebirth. The comparison to the two characters Om Prakash Mukhiji and Om Kapoor. Throughout the beginning half of the film, we see stereotypes and controversies between the actor whether it has to do with him not becoming famous because of his last name and then him having a rebirth after dying into someone whose name is Om Kapoor trying to portray he is coming from a well-known family of actors. We also see the reincarnation through the movie from the beginning to the end. Him having an Om tattoo on his wrist and later after his rebirth we see the Om scar on his wrist in the same exact spot he had the Om tattoo in his past life. A lot of doctrines from the Hindu religion are established in this movie and they are clear to see. They talk about reincarnation, death, and karma. The statues of Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva throughout the movie. Whether or not one believes in reincarnation, the film suggests that all religions agree that there is a cosmic force that holds us accountable for our individual acts and responds to our deepest desires. The movie did an amazing job in explaining the story of Om Prakash Mukhiji and Shanti as well as Om Kapoor and Shanti. It was a pleasure watching this movie and I believe that if someone wants to get a better understanding of the idea of reincarnation and karma they should consider watching this movie. I would rate this blockbuster movie a 8.5/10. Picture References: Picture of Om Prakash Mukhiji with Om tattoo on his wrist with the red string his mother tied on him for blessing Scar of tattoo on Om Kapoor from old life after rebirth Mukesh Makhija trapped Shanti in the studio to die because she is pregnant. Om comes to save Shanti in the studio from the fire but he is locked outside and cannot get her out as the fire is causing a big explosion. Shanti “died” underneath the chandelier At the end of the movie, Om Kapoor sees Mukesh dying in the same spot he buried Shanti. Showing how if you do a bad deed bad things will happen to you. Om Prakash gets hit by a car after trying to save Shanti in the fire. A woman is going into labor at the same time the doctors are trying to keep him alive. The moment Om Prakash Mukhiji Dies Om Kapoor is born. Om Prakash Mukhiji giving a speech about him winning an award Om Kapoor actually wining the acting award with the same things in his hand as Om Prakash. Citation: Cheng, Cindy. “Reincarnation in Hinduism.” Anthropological Perspectives on Death, February 17, 2017. https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/gravematters/2017/02/17/reincarnation-in-hinduism/. DH News Service. “Bollywood Does Not Allow for a 'Pregnant' Pause.” Deccan Herald. DH News Service, February 19, 2014. https://www.deccanherald.com/content/387280/bollywood-does-not-allow-pregnant.html. Jaat, Kalu, and Editorial Staff. “Kapoor Caste - कपरू जाती की उत्पत्ति और इतिहास.” Guidense, December 27, 2021. https://www.guidense.com/kapoor-caste/. Karishma Kaushikk / Jul 17, 2017. “Why to Chant Mantra Om?: - Times of India.” The Times of India. TOI. Accessed November 3, 2022. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/mantras-chants/why-to-chant-mantra-om/articl eshow/68205193.cms. Rao, Ram. “The Special Meaning of Chanting ‘Shanti’ Three Times.” Yoga for Times of Change, August 31, 2021. https://www.yogafortimesofchange.com/the-special-meaning-of-chanting-shanti-three-time s/. Regan, Sarah. “Here's What the Om Symbol Really Means & How to Use It.” mindbodygreen. mindbodygreen, June 25, 2021. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/what-does-the-om-symbol-mean.
