Oh My Dog movie review: Uninspired writing drowns this desi version of 101 Dalmatians

1.5/5

Story: Oh My Dog explores the bond between a young boy and his Siberian Husky pet dog. The makers aim to attract children of all ages. 

Review: What would you expect in a film that brings together three generations of actors from the same family? Something fresh, different and memorable, right? Oh My Dog which features a real-life grandfather-father-son trio (Vijaykumar, Arun Vijay and Arnav Vijay for the first time on-screen), is painfully generic and predictable, starting from the scratch. Every film is only as good as its content and not the reputation of actors or stars—Oh My Dog drives home the point. Professional dog breeder Fernando (Vinay Rai) instructs his assistants to kill a blind pup. Somehow, the pup escapes from those men, and 'magically' ends up at Arjun's (Arnav Vijay) door. The boy adopts the pup, and names him, Simba. The pup accompanies Arjun wherever he goes—even to school. He is playful and the elders of the house have a hard time disciplining him. Sarov Shanmugam establishes that in every frame carefully. Arjun keeps Simba in his room and feeds him milk and idlis. His parents are clueless about the pup. Though the bond between Arjun and Simba keeps the film on the course, hardly it moves you.

Fifteen minutes into Oh My Dog, you guess this is how the rest of the story will flow. There is very little insight into what Arjun's father (Arun Vijay) is; his personality and why they exactly reel under financial pressure. Arjun's parents are slowly warming up to Simba. Months pass by. Simba is a grown-up dog now. Arjun wants Simba to win an international competition. How he achieves it all, in the end, forms the rest of the story. Somehow, I felt like I caught the desi version of 101 Dalmatians. There's the sense that someone prepared a list of clichés that had to be dutifully adhered to. (You'll know what I'm referring to when you watch the film). 

It never stops to amuse how a film that has a gorgeous four-legged Siberian Husky can run for two hours, and still does nothing to you, emotionally. It is an interesting premise—one that could have flourished with better ideation, story, and screenplay. Both Vijayakumar and Arun Vijay are wasted in this underwhelming film. There are too many inconsistencies that Sarov Shanmugam overlooks, which further adds to the lazy writing. Mahima Nambiar, whose performance I quite liked in Arya's Mahamuni, is reduced to a character with no scope for performance. Sarov Shanmugam's intentions are good. He wants to tell a happy lighthearted story; all right. But why bring in a message? When will filmmakers realise good intentions don't make a good film? Arnav Vijay, who makes his debut with Oh My Dog, charms into a performance as light as it is heartfelt. Simba hogs the show without any effort. If only Oh My Dog ended up doing the same. 

Verdict: Watch Oh My Dog as long as you don't expect anything substantial or ground-breaking.

(Oh My Dog is streaming on Amazon Prime)