Om Shanti Om

An aspiring actor from the 1970s is murdered, but is immediately reincarnated into the present day. He attempts to discover the mystery of his demise and find Shanti, the love of his previous life.

As you can tell from the poster, Om Shanti Om is supremely entertaining. Everyone seems to be having a great time, giving it their all, the songs and dances are huge productions, and the director obviously loves movies because it is both an homage and a spoof in many ways.

This is a movie we didn't know enough to fully appreciate when we first saw it. Our first exposure to film star Shah Rukh Khan and director Farah Khan (no relation), we laughed, caught some of the secondary jokes, and enjoyed the singing and dancing. After seeing many more Bollywood movies we realized what a treasure Om Shanti Om really was.

Watching it for a second time with family members who are just joining us in our Bollywood exploration we could appreciate the skill and love that went into this piece of sheer entertainment. It also made me realized how much I love Farah Khan, not only for her choreography but for her sense of humor and the way she moves the story.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast discusses it here.