Review : ‘Oh My Ghost’ : Ghosts as Housemates

In many films Horror genre has been used to entertain audiences in India. Bhoot starring Vicky Kaushal, Stree starring Rajkumar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, Pari starring and Anushka Sharma who produced Bulbbul too, to name a few horror films of the recent times. Indian filmmakers haven’t been able to effectively use horror genre to their advantage as compared to Hollywood filmmakers. But time and again audiences do get to watch horror movies. Bollywood cinematographer Wasin Khan has taken reins of direction with a Marathi film ‘Oh My Ghost’. Normally something unusual is experienced, seen or heard the first reaction happens to be ‘Oh My God’ or ‘OMG’ but writer Mohsin Chawda has twisted it to ‘OMG’, meaning ‘Oh My Ghost’ in a horror comedy movie of the same same. He explores the world of ghosts with an orphan guy in the centre wherein he is compelled to have them as his housemates. The movie also throws a message on the impacts of depression and loneliness and how to overcome the same in the simplest manner. But the inexperience of the director unables to lift the film to greater heights.

Jaggu (Prahamesh Parab) is an orphan boy who was raised in an orphanage is living a lonely life. He is not very educated, hence unable to earn sufficiently to tide over in life. Due to limited or meagre earning he is just surviving and burdened with debts. The Kirana shop owner, the landlord and others keep pestering him for money owed which drives him in acute depression and he loses interest in life. He attempts to commit suicide number of times but destiny doesn’t allow it. All the suicide attempts fail though he has a sympathiser in a beautiful neighbourhood friend Kajal (Kajal Sharma) who happens to be a photo-journalist. She definitely has a soft corner for him but since he’s uninterested in life itself isn’t bothered about love or other emotions. In a last attempt to end his life by consuming poison, he’s saved and is hospitalised. There he experiences unnatural thing. A small girl is giving him company who is not visible to anybody else except him. On returning home he ‘sees’ her once again but she has more people as a company. They inform him that they are ghosts whose certain wishes in the past life have not been fulfilled and if he helps them to fulfil them they’ll be able to have spiritual liberation. It’s a ghost family comprising of an elderly man of grandfather’s age, a man and a woman of father and mother’s age and the little teenage girl who are only ‘visible’ to Jaggu. They ask Jaggu to fulfil their unfulfilled desires. Jaggu reluctantly accepts their request but will it be possible for him to get success in that? The director leads the audience on this path unfolding many facts involving horror and comedy.

The concept of the film is good but the pre-intermission plot seems a bit slow. The latter half picks up momentum and makes the film watchable. The film manages to reasonably entertain as well as throws in a message too. The film has failed to cling onto any genre, horror or comedy, and it is a failure of the director. Director Wasim Khan has used escapist and ‘formula’ situations, which are common in Hindi films, which derails the good subject. He has managed to extract laughters in a few scenes but it was expected to happen more frequently in a film like this. The cinematography is excellent and camera angles used for some scenes are interesting to create an atmosphere of suspense or horror. Dialogues are good so is music by debutant music director and singer Rohit Raut. Prathamesh Parab has managed to make the movie watchable with his effortless performance. He carries the entire film on his shoulders successfully. Kajal Sharma impresses with her screen presence as well as acting. If she works on her Marathi diction she has a bright future in Marathi film industry. Pankaj Vishnu, Kurus Debu (Munnabhai MBBS Fame), Prem Gadhvi, Deepali Patil, Apoorva Deshpande have done their job responsibly.

The makers of the film should be congratulated for releasing the film in the theatres which may help other producers to walk that path and ‘Oh My Ghost’ will definitely please fans of Prathamesh Parab.