Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi was released in theatres last Friday. This remake of a Mollywood film (Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey) has predictably come a cropper. Featuring Tharun Bhascker and Eesha Rebba as a married couple, this black comedy film is a disaster. A trade report says that the scale of the failure is evident from the fact that multiplexes showing it are now looking forward to a new set of releases this Friday.
Producer Srujan Yarabolu tried to pitch the movie as an adaptation. The pairing of the Tharun-Eesha duo was also billed as a bankable choice. After a busy Sankranthi that saw five movie releases (three of which performed solidly at the box office), there is no way OSSS was going to attract crowds. Even if nobody knew it was a remake, its chances were bleak. The performances are a huge demerit, with the husband-wife track largely falling apart. A particular combat scene involving them in a domestic setting was intended to be a hoot; however, the execution faltered and the performances were stunted. Only Brahmaji's comedy showed effort to an extent.
