Star-studded cast in “Om Shanti Om” October 29, 2009
Posted by Alex in Uncategorized.trackback
So was I the only one a little lost at the musical number “Om Shanti Om” when the film seemed to be featuring in great length, characters we had never seen? As the scene continued however, and we saw the female star from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and even their signature handshake from the film, I began to understand that this cameo is not so unfamiliar. It seems incredibly similiar to our equivalent of a star-studded cast like in Ocean’s Eleven.
This seems like a similiar strategy to reach a greater audience and entice people to come see it. In one article I found on the internet, it mentions that Bollywood actors are considered to be almost demi-gods, so this seems to back up my theory.
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Yep, your observation is totally accurate. In fact, in some ways, Om Shanti Om wants to become a meta-Bollywood film by commenting on the industry and its practices–hence the inclusion of two extended sequences that either allude to or directly feature Bollywood “superstars” from the past and present.
Alex, I think you make a really interesting point here. This makes me think of two things. One, when we were talking about slasher movies and the directors use of the attractive female. Also, when we were reading the cover of that DVD and the descriptions were solely based on the actors and talked very little (misrepresenting) the plot. Secondly, the handshake reference in “Om Shanti Om” reminds me of something from one of the scary movies, where nearly all of the appeal of the AWFUL movies is the references to other films. I know that the only reason I would ever watch “Scary Movie” (Or “Scary Movie 2,” “Scary Movie 3,” “Scary Movie 4,” “Dance Flick,” “Superhero Movie,” “Date Flick”…..) is to have the satisfaction of understanding the jokes in them, which are almost 100% references to other films.
Maybe this was the desired effect of the handshake…?
Kelly, that’s exactly the kind of intertextuality being established here. If you recognize the allusions, then you get even more pleasure, especially out of the song-and-dance sequences.