“Will you step into my parlor?” said the spider to the fly ...
- Mary Howett (1799-1888)
Mary Howett's poem is meant to be a cautionary tale about false friendship vs. true intentions.
But sometimes that fly really needs to be caught.
When Om Kapoor (Shah Rukh Khan) sees film producer Mukesh "Mike" Mehra (Arjun Rampal) at a Bollywood party in the 2007 Farah Khan film Om Shanti Om, he is overcome with a flood of long-forgotten memories.
Needing to act on these vivid recollections, Om decides to set up a collaborative effort with the producer to shoot the film Om Shanti Om, which has been unfilmed and abandoned for 30 years. Extending a hand of friendship and superstardom to the producer with the offer of a Bollywood comeback film project, Om invites Mukesh to lunch.
Mike Mehra: You want to start Om Shanti Om again? That's ridiculous. You must be joking!
Om Kapoor: I'm serious Mukesh. You know, I get 3 to 4 scripts offered everyday but I reject all of them. But Om Shanti Om ... that's cool. It has emotion, drama, romance, action. I'm sure it's going to be a blockbuster, Mukesh.
Mike Mehra: Reincarnation, rebirth ... who's going to believe all this, in this day and age?
Om Kapoor: Ah ... What does it matter if anyone else believes in it or not? As long as you believe in it ...
Om Kapoor: ...as a, as a maker! You have to believe in the script, Mukesh. Yeah!
Mike Mehra: Call me Mike. Everyone in Hollywood does.
Om Kapoor: Oh! Mike! Mukesh became Mike ... that's funny, Mike! Thanks to Mike.
Mike Mehra: That film didn't even have a climax, Om. I mean, that project was jinxed. Bloody doomed.
Om Kapoor: Aw, fish off! What jinx? The project was jinxed for that insurance company who paid you four times the actual price of your set. And you got married to that Harsh Mittal's daughter and got a big studio as your wedding gift. Then you went to Hollywood, millions of dollars you earned. You didn't even take a single shot and Om Shanti Om became the biggest film of your career. So where is the jinx, Mike? Huh?
Mike Mehra: You know a lot about me, Om.
Om Kapoor: Call me OK. Everyone in Bollywood does.
Mike Mehra: Alright.
Om Kapoor: Got you, dude!
Mike Mehra: OK.
Om Kapoor: And I also know that a big accident happened on your set and your heroine ... what was her name?
Mike Mehra: Shanti ...
Om Kapoor: Shanti ... yeah, Shanti ... what?
Mike Mehra: Shantipriya.
Om Kapoor: Shantipriya. What happened to her?
Mike Mehra: She disappeared.
Om Kapoor: Oh...
Mike Mehra: I tried to find her but she was just ... "poof "... gone.
Om Kapoor: Oh, "poof" gone. "Poof, poof" gone. You know, if you search hard enough, you can find God himself. I don't think you tried too hard, Mike.
Om Kapoor: I like you, man. It's a joke! Chill, dude!
And ... seriously speaking, if you want to make any film with me then it has to be Om Shanti Om. Otherwise, I'm not interested, really.
Mike Mehra: You know you are very stubborn, OK.
Om Kapoor: I know that.
Mike Mehra: I like that. I am going to America for a month. If you find a heroine by then, we'll shoot.
Om Kapoor: You got it. You got it, Mikey. And don't worry about the climax, Mikey. This time I will write the end of this story myself. Come on, cheers!
Mike Mehra: To a new beginning!
Om Kapoor: No. To a new end, Mikey.
While Om Kapoor is successful in getting Mukesh Mehra to produce Om Shanti Om, there is much more in store for Mehra than he can possibly imagine. Just as the spider entices the fly to visit his lair, Om Kapoor entices Mukesh Mehra to visit the past.
The dialogues for the film Om Shanti Om were written by Mayur Puri who also played the role of a director in the film. Puri has been tapped to do the dialogues in the Farah Khan 2014 film Happy New Year. Here is an interview with Mayur Puri from March 2013.
If you like this post, check out some other film dialogues and/or posts about Om Shanti Om.