Does ‘Om Shanti Om’ bring to light another birth question?
By Zaib Azkaar Hussain
Karachi
The mystery of reincarnation has been a very attention-grabbing subject for the writers of the sub-continent and most of their writings, novels, short stories, articles and other works are evident on it.
The same subject has also an appeal to witness this mystery in plays, dramas and films has another appeal in it.
A commercial movie produced a few years back titled ‘Om Shanti Om’ written by Farah Khan seems to be worthy and considerable one on this topic. The writer who herself acted as the director of the same film experienced rather a different way to comprehend the question of rebirth while applying certain jargon and words in the film.
By using such method, the film story takes a drastic turn as the jargon used in it becomes a powerful connection between the arrangements and the happenings. The strength of the words and rather an odd arrangement of happenings eventually play a significant part to give things a new meaning.
The central character (who been actually an extra actor of his times) falls in love with a heroine and superstar but the superstar remains ignorant of the love as she has her own priorities and choice of fondness.
A very influential filmmaker proposes and exploits her. She has got married (secretly) with the same director and filmmaker. The filmmaker has all abilities and desires to bring into play his all artistic skills in producing a major film for which he needs huge sums.
He has manipulated well and is about to produce ‘Om Shanti Om’ (OSO) but his wife doesn’t understand his aims and instead becomes a hurdle in fulfilment of his designs. This factor seriously disappointed him. This is a character who has a pragmatic vision and asks his wife not to disclose the fact of their marriage. The central character (an extra) who loves the heroine beyond everything, when comes to know about the fact that the filmmaker was her husband, he got upset. Once he had a passion to become a superstar, now confronts with a very crude reality by knowing that the film producer and director was going to burn his OSO Studios so in order to burn his wife (who is heroine of the film too) in order to punish her for her refusal to obey him and to make money by showing great loss, due to burning his studios and famous superstar of her times too. He manipulates well all his plans and finally torched his pregnant wife.
Here, the film director of the story shows an odd arrangements of happenings in the life of a good soul, and also in the life of another good soul (an extra) who abruptly faces a great danger and oddity of the situation.
Here, the heroine is burnt, regardless of the fact that the extra tries to rescue her, but failed to do that and instead receives serious injuries due to fire and his attempts to save and get out the heroine of fire. The villain makes his every efforts to save poor woman, failed.
In this film an influential hero of his time passes through the same place while rushing his wife (who is also in family way) to the hospital. The hero picks the injured extra and rushes him to the hospital as well. The story takes a surprising turn over here when the process of reincarnation takes place. As a result of which the extra who had died owing to severe injuries, is born again as the son of the influential hero. Ultimately, this time, the extra (by his origin) is now brought up as the son of a famous and influential hero and finally become as hero whose nicknamed is ‘OK’. The OK finally recalls his past life and comes to know that it was the second time that he has come to this world.
Regardless of the performances of the artistes who really acted well, the writer has left many questions unaddressed and remained them up to the understanding of viewers.
For instance, the artistes are shown at the end of the film in order to make it clear that happened in the film, was only a drama, but still the power of the word such as no one can stop a person who is determined to find his or her lover out eventually can do it.
The question of reincarnation comes up here in a very critical situation when the soul of the dead character replaces another one and ensures his rebirth in a relatively different transformation.
Similarly the hero did not find the same heroine, but is blessed with another one who has the same resemblances. And the actual heroine is dead. She exists no more in physical terms. Her soul finally goes away after she achieves her target to punish the killer and to get her salvation besides.
Again question of understanding the process of reincarnation has a great mystery which is being taken into account in experiencing, writing and exploring from different angels.
Ends
