Oh My God! (Hindi, 2012)
As we always indulge in intellectual talks revolving about life and such after our weekly endorphin filled runs, somebody in the running gang suggested that I should watch this Hindi flick about about an atheist. Rajesh Parwal acts as Kanji, an atheist who surprising earns a living by selling religious deities. Secretly, he and his assistant keep laughing at his customers and the world at their gullibility. He even laughs at his neighboring shopkeeper who leaves his non-profit making business for a month to perform his haj! He also ridicules a grieving son who never took care of his sick mother but now wants to take all relatives for a special pilgrimage so that her soul would rest in peace!
As we always indulge in intellectual talks revolving about life and such after our weekly endorphin filled runs, somebody in the running gang suggested that I should watch this Hindi flick about about an atheist. Rajesh Parwal acts as Kanji, an atheist who surprising earns a living by selling religious deities. Secretly, he and his assistant keep laughing at his customers and the world at their gullibility. He even laughs at his neighboring shopkeeper who leaves his non-profit making business for a month to perform his haj! He also ridicules a grieving son who never took care of his sick mother but now wants to take all relatives for a special pilgrimage so that her soul would rest in peace!
One day, Kanji's religious wife and children were at a religious function in praise of Lord Krishna. (Here Prabhu Deva performs a God praising seductive street dance with a voluptuous female dancer as if mocking the religious practice). Seeing his child who was about to sit for an important exams, doing a dangerous stunts, he stops the function. Inciting the wrath of a religious saint who was leading the ceremony, he is cursed. What do you know? Mumbai is hit by a Richter 3.5 scale earthquake and Kanji's shop is the only one which crashes to the ground!
The insurance company refuse to pay his claims as it deemed as an act of God and was clearly excluded in the policy. So our atheist friend decides to sue God!
As no lawyers wants to represent him, he represents himself with the help of a disillusioned disabled Moslem lawyer (Om Puri). That is when his problems starts. His wife, with his children leave him thinking that he is mad. All the town folks and even his neighbors are up in arms against him. As in all good Indian movie, when every avenue is exhausted and the situation seem hopeless, who comes to the rescue? Yes, God himself comes in the form a mysterious stuntman (Akshay Kumar) on a fancy motorcycle to sweep him off the chasing mob. He introduces himself as Krishna Vasudev Yadav of Gokul (the flute playing, butter stealing, milk-maid disturbing cheeky cowherd Lord Shree Krishna himself) and stays in his house.
The insurance company refuse to pay his claims as it deemed as an act of God and was clearly excluded in the policy. So our atheist friend decides to sue God!
As no lawyers wants to represent him, he represents himself with the help of a disillusioned disabled Moslem lawyer (Om Puri). That is when his problems starts. His wife, with his children leave him thinking that he is mad. All the town folks and even his neighbors are up in arms against him. As in all good Indian movie, when every avenue is exhausted and the situation seem hopeless, who comes to the rescue? Yes, God himself comes in the form a mysterious stuntman (Akshay Kumar) on a fancy motorcycle to sweep him off the chasing mob. He introduces himself as Krishna Vasudev Yadav of Gokul (the flute playing, butter stealing, milk-maid disturbing cheeky cowherd Lord Shree Krishna himself) and stays in his house.
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| Priestess |
Kanji sues a group of famous 'beholders' of God - an effeminate Mithun Chakrabarthy, a hot tempered bald priest and ravishing forever manicuring priestess as defendants. As his case gets accepted for trial, he garners more and more support as others who lost their belongings in natural calamities (e.g. Tsunami) join suit. With the help of the media, he soon becomes the people's hero.
After the usual roller coaster as in any Indian movie, Kanji argues in the later part of the movie that God indeed has given clear proofs in the holy scriptures (Gita, Bible and Koran) that he would destroy the world. The holy bodies were sentenced to pay damages to Kanji and all the others.
In a dramatic ending, Kanji the atheist is afflicted by paralysis and drawn over to the 'good side' by Krishna's healing powers and explanation that men themselves made the mess they were in. God just created them! It is up to man themselves to know what is good and what is bad for them.
After the usual roller coaster as in any Indian movie, Kanji argues in the later part of the movie that God indeed has given clear proofs in the holy scriptures (Gita, Bible and Koran) that he would destroy the world. The holy bodies were sentenced to pay damages to Kanji and all the others.
| Street Dance for God? |
I thought it was an entertaining movie dealing with a sensitive subject. At the end of the day, both believers and non believers have something to say in their favour - the naysayer about the commercialization aspect of the religion, the unnecessary need for intermediaries to communicate with the omnipotent omnipresent omniscient force called God; the believers on the aspect that the film actually accepts the presence of God and his actions on his subject. At the end everybody goes home happy, the viewers (atheist or believers) and the producers smiling all the way to the bank!
What do you know, a Facebook entry by a temple recommended this film for its followers! Just like a daily horoscope reading or a fortune cookie, the message can be viewed any way which is your convenience...
*An Australian movie in 2001 (The Man who sued God) was out with the same theme, a fisherman suing God when his boat was struck by lightning and his insurance claim was denied for being an Act of God!
*An Australian movie in 2001 (The Man who sued God) was out with the same theme, a fisherman suing God when his boat was struck by lightning and his insurance claim was denied for being an Act of God!
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