Om Shanti Om: Ramdev’s Bhajan Show Sure Isn’t for Millennials

If you are feeling sanskari this weekend, you know what to watch.

Disclaimer: Baba Ramdev’s spiritual reality show Om Shanti Om is NOT for millennials.

I’ve seen Baba Ramdev squiggling and rippling his stomach with Shilpa Shetty. I’ve also watched the yoga guru tiring Ranveer Singh and draining out his energy on the dance floor. Also, when it comes to selling your own product, the great entrepreneur gives tough competition to MDH masala wala grandpa.

Just when you thought you’d seen enough of the man, Ramdev, in his narangi robe, wearing padukas (his quintessential slippers) and holding a blue guitar pops up on your TV screen like Narad Muni showcasing his new bhajan reality show Om Shanti Om. A fusion of bhakti songs with pop, rock, or whatever you like.

It’s raining sanskar on Om Shanti Om. The show made Ranveer ‘Befikre’ Singh show his dharmik side as he performed ‘Ganesh Aarti’. The simple chairs are named music aasans. The contestants are called ‘divine voices’. FYI, Ramdev could find 14 divine voices only from North and North-East India. And this, according to him, represents Bharat.

Errr. Maybe next season, SP Balasubrahmanyam, AR Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan could help Ramdev search for some divine awaaz from other parts of India. #SanskarRocks

Oh and before I forget, the show only began after everyone chanted Aum like a big fat spiritual parivar. #AumMyGod

Right after that, three of the ‘Gurucool’ (Kanika Kapoor, Shekhar and Sonakshi Sinha) were introduced in their very own bhaktiful way and unanimously praised “Babaji tussi great ho.”

I’m not an atheist, neither am I spiritual and nor is Om Shanti Om a show for the Netflix-bingeing millennials as Ramdev claims it to be.

The one hour and 40-minute grand premiere of Om Shanti Om had cooler versions of devotional songs that the makers expect a Game Of Thrones or a House of Cards audience to relate to. The only songs that did ring a bell were the ones that were popularised by our very Bollywood – Jai Ho... (Slumdog Millionaire), Khwaja Mere Khwaja... (Jodhaa Akbar), Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram... (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and Bolo Har Har... (Shivaay).

This is must be Ramdev’s desi way of cutting out the latkhas and jhatkas and making the show Alok Nath certified.

Latkhas and jhatkas were not the only thing that Ramdev tried to cut down. The production house probably spent a bomb to get Ranveer Singh on board for their first episode and exhausted their budget, which explains why the 14 divine voices were dressed from the same piece of cloth. They ended up looking less like contestants and more like the local band performing at Sarojini Nagar’s street wedding. #NoOffense!

So guys, this weekend, take a leap from ‘sinskari’ Game of Thrones to sanskari Om Shanti Om. Let Ramdev show you how to party in a new andaaz with a tinge of nationalism!

(PS) – Purely Made in India.

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