“Om” is a landmark for Kannada cinema for a number of reasons. Focusing on the presentation of Bangalore’s criminal underworld, including appearance of real-life gangsters, “Om” was a rather costly endeavor but the result definitely justified the effort. Currently, the movie is credited for ushering in the genre of underworld mafia in a full-fledged manner in Kannada cinema, was a a successful venture at the box office and was declared an industry hit. It remains a cult classic film in Kannada cinema with a dedicated fan following, owing to its re-release every two weeks, holding a record for re-releasing more than 550 times. Let us see what the whole thing is about though.
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Shashi is a journalist who interviews underworld gangsters and provides a book titled ॐ, which is written by her and request them to read. Eventually, she learns of a gangster named Satyamurthy “Satya” Shastri, who has been forcing a college student named Madhuri “Madhu” to love him by day, but is also involved in oil smuggling activities by Oil Raja at night. His actions are those of an obsessed mad dog, with him chasing away and beating anyone who dares look at her, and eventually even her and her family, when they decide to react.
At one point, Shashi learns of Satya’s past, which is rather different from his present. As a young man, Satya was a humble college student and the son of a brahmin priest named Sreekantha Shastri, and was leading a happy life with his mother and three sisters: Sujatha, Suma and Gowri. However, a girl in college that essentially forced him to fall in love with her, which turns out to be Madhuri once more, was the one that forced him into violence, and in the end, the mad dog he is today.
Back to the present, the back and forths between Madhu and Satya undergo a number of twists, involving the local mafia, the authorities and their two families, none of which remains unscathed, as violence and tragedy go hand to hand in the story.
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The first thing one will notice is that the pace of the movie is frantic, with Shashikumar’s editing providing cuts as frequently as possible, in an effort that results in a movie that is filled with characters and events, even though it lasts for 150 minutes. What it is also filled is violence, which starts from the beginning and never actually ceases, (melo) drama, with the two main protagonists and their family experiencing tragedies essentially non-stop, and much sociopolitical critique.
Regarding the last aspect, although somewhat awkwardly implemented in the narratively, Upendra does deal with the Bangalore underworld, and how criminals are created in the midst of all violence. Comments about patriarchy, with the way the women in the film are treated, and Shashi being the only one who truly dares to stand up to it, the authorities and particularly the role the police play, corruption and religion, all get their share here, enriching the context to a significant decree. In the same path, but also moving towards the drama, the way the families of the two suffer, and particularly the fathers, is another rather interesting aspect here. Madhu’s finds himself repeatedly in situations he cannot do anything to prevent, being punished for something that is definitely not his fault. The same applies to Satya’s, who eventually faces the consequences of having a son who is a criminal, with Upendra presenting, through him, how prejudice works in religious circles.
Above all, however, and even beyond the action and the violence, “Om” is a story of tragic and obsessive love, with the way the two protagonists experience and suffer from it essentially dictating the whole story. At the same time, it is easy to say that the whole mixture, of love story, crime, intense violence and sociopolitical comments is handled in a way that does not always make sense, but is definitely entertaining throughout, while the message against violence that concludes the movie moves in crowd pleasing territory too. One could say that there is a crime and punishment element here too, with Satya’s behavior essentially being a reaction to the actions of others, but this is somewhat lost in the chaos of the story.
The acting is impressive throughout. Shiva Rajkumar plays the bigger-than-life Satya in a bigger-than-life style, although the moments he has to tone it down are also convincing. Prema as Madhu is excellent as both a femme fatale and a victim, while Srishanthi as Shashi plays the voice of reason and the most logical individual in the whole movie with artistry and realism. The rest of the cast also do a very convincing job, with the casting working quite well for the movie. At the same time, the many scenes that feature numerous actors at the same time on screen highlight Upendra’s ability to direct in this way, with a number of such scenes being truly impressive to watch.
B.C. Gowrishankar’s cinematography captures the plethora of locations, events and characters with a visual flair that fits the story to perfection, while also implementing a number of interesting techniques throughout the movie. Rotating cameras, sudden and repeated zoom-ins and their combination with the manipulation of film speed result in a number of outstanding scenes, even though some excessiveness here does exist.
“Om” is an excellent gangster movie that moves much beyond the borders of the genre, and a film that has stood the test of time, easily offering entertainment even today.
