critic's rating:
3.0/5
Thank God is an official remake of the 2009 Danish social comedy Sorte Kugler (What Goes Around). Ayaan Kapoor (Sidharth Malhotra) is a bankrupt real estate agent married to a cop. Frustrated with his lot in life, he isn't on his best behaviour with either wife Ruhi (Rakul Preet Singh) or with daughter Pihu (Kiara Khanna). He's got anger management issues, is low on self-esteem, is jealous as hell and adores Nora Fatehi as a fantasy figure. One fine day, he meets with an accident, and instead of waking up in the operating room, he wakes up in the afterlife itself. This version of afterlife consists of a giant stadium full of souls, who'd be judging him in a game show called The Game Of Life, hosted by C.G., short for Chitragupta (Ajay Devgn). If he wins enough white balls, he'll be sent back to be resurrected. However, an abundance of black balls would mean an eternity spent in hell…
C.G. makes him relive episodes from his own life. He realises his mistakes when he sees them from a different perspective. He realises he's been kind of shallow and selfish all his life and has started taking relationships for granted. The different rounds teach him a lesson in humility. He also learns to appreciate the good that is happening in his life and to let go of the bad. C.G. acts as his friend, philosopher and guide throughout. His dad jokes and mealy homilies hide kernels of truth behind them. Ayaan goes from someone living in denial about his shortcomings to being someone who accepts them and is willing to change.
Thank God is a kind of an escapist fantasy. We all would love to have a second chance. The film provides a protagonist with many second chances and helps him become a better person in the process. Who wouldn't wish for that kind of a leeway? Apart from the protagonist, who is kind of immature and clueless, every other person in his life, be it his mother, elder sister, his wife or even his daughter are more sorted than him. How they've tolerated him so far is a mystery by itself. Life lessons are taught in a hugely over the top manner, which is but the norm for Indra Kumar's films. Men are pigs and sometimes it takes God's direct intervention for them to turn into cultured beings, seems to be the consensus of the film. Karma's a bitch and would bite you in the ass if you don't do good is the film's simple lesson. Even if you won't laugh out loud, some scenes definitely would make you smile.
Veterans Kanwaljit Singh and Seema Pahwa play Ayaan's parents and his scenes with them offer the best emotional impact. Rakul Preet Singh breezes through her role of being a caring wife. We wish she had more to do here. After doing romance and action earlier, Sidharth Malhotra has tried his hand at situational comedy and isn't half bad as a clueless individual going through an early midlife crisis. His reaction shots are spot on. The film rests on the able shoulders of Ajay Devgn. He is at his comedic best as the all-knowing game show host who has nothing but the best interests of the contestants at heart. One can see he's enjoying himself playing C.G. and has brought in his A game essaying the role.
Watch Thank God for its light-hearted moments. Then go home and watch the classic It's A Wonderful Life (1946), the granddaddy of all such films involving alternate lives.
Trailer : Thank God
Dhaval Roy, October 25, 2022, 5:39 PM IST
critic's rating:
3.0/5
Story: Ayaan is a hard-on-luck but self-centred and egoistic real estate guy who meets with a car accident and reaches Heaven. He encounters Chitragupt there and needs to play the ‘Game of Life’ that will decide whether he goes back to Earth or Hell, depending on his deeds. Will he win the game and be united with his wife and daughter?
Review: The movie quickly establishes Ayaan Kapoor (Sidharth Malhotra) as a successful but amoral real estate agent who has a huge debt and needs to sell his bungalow to repay it. As he struggles to crack a deal, he often takes out his stress on his cop wife, Ruhi Kapoor (Rakul Preet Singh). On his daughter’s birthday, as he’s rushing to meet a prospective client, Ayaan meets with a car accident and gains consciousness in Heaven, where his deeds will be judged. By this point, one can already predict the course of the judgement as one is already familiar with Ayaan’s character. Written by Aakash Kaushik and Madhur Sharma, the simplistic story leaves little to the imagination, and the audience can foretell how things will go. Most events that the judgement will be based on are predictable, and things are made too convenient for the protagonist, Ayaan.
Director Indra Kumar sets out to deliver an entertainer with a message about karma and stays the course without making the narrative too heavy or dark. Chitragupt or CG (Ajay Devgn), YD or Yamdoot (Mahesh Balraj) and apsaras are given modern avatars to make viewing more palatable and relatable. There are references to Devgn’s superhit franchise Singham and a nod to Kaun Banega Crorepati. The premise is mostly dialogue-driven but adding flashbacks, encounters with YD and apsaras, and ‘lifelines’ breaks the monotony. The makers could have paid more attention to the CGI, which appears gimmicky in most parts.
Although Ajay Devgn plays his part as the stern yet regardful deity well, the role is too simplistic for a powerful performer like him. Sidharth performs earnestly as the self-absorbed and unprincipled man, but things would have been more interesting if his character had more depth to make the judgement more gripping. Rakul, as his supportive and more talented wife, is decent. Senior actors Kanwaljeet Singh and Seema Pahwa have cameo appearances as Ayaan’s parents but display their acting chops.
The story is stuck in the 90s and oversimplified but the movie makes for an easy watch. It might find favour with audiences who want a clean entertainer, as the film has a message or two about moving on about tribulations, being humane and the importance of one’s family.
