Ohh My Dog Review: Go Watch!

Ohh My Dog has something different to offer. As for dog lovers, this is definitely a film to catch, rave Rajesh Karkera and Mayur Sanap.

Rajesh Karkera: I went into Ohh My Dog with no expectations. I genuinely liked the film. My only complaint is that it was simply too long.

Mayur Sanap: I loved the idea of a personal journey intertwined with a crime thriller. The film unfolds across two cities and two timelines. The Bhopal track deals with organ trafficking, while the Assam story revolves around animal trafficking. It was an interesting setup.

RK: The ensemble is also wonderful. You have Pankaj Tripathi, Pawan Malhotra, Geeta Agrawal and the young actor Maahi Rai, who is excellent. But despite having such strong actors, the animals steal the show.

MS: I was relieved that this film wasn't related to the 2022 Tamil film Oh My Dog. It's an original story. Even more interesting is that Director Amit Rai also directed Ohh My God 2.

RK: There are moments that genuinely make you cry, especially if you are an animal lover. Whatever pet you have loved in your life, this film will remind you of it.

MS: The dog protagonists, Oscar and Momo, were both wonderful. The film's heart is definitely in the right place, but the plot keeps meandering for way too long and really tests your patience.

RK: There were many emotional scenes in the film. The sequence where Appu (Maahi Rai) goes searching for Momo and crawls through the gutters really hit me emotionally. It reminded me of something personal.

MS: We actually discussed this after the screening. You said the film takes you back to memories from your own childhood.

RK: Exactly. Whoever wrote this story has clearly drawn from real experiences. These don't feel like purely fictional moments.

You had also wondered whether a dog would really go to such lengths searching for its owner. But history tells us dogs have travelled across continents to find their way back home. Sometimes they return only to die a few days later, but they still come back. If you care for a dog, it will keep searching for you until its legs give way. That's simply what dogs do.

MS: So even though the story is fictional, it's believable because of what dogs are capable of.

RK: Absolutely. The audience at the screening applauded multiple times because they were completely invested in the journey.

MS: I loved the young actor Maahi Rai, who plays Appu. Right in the beginning we see a poster of Satyajit Ray in his home, and his character is named Appu, clearly referencing The Apu Trilogy. That was a lovely touch.

RK: Yeah, true that.

MS: The film also draws parallels with the Mahabharata. Appu's teacher, played by a lovely Sulakhyana Baruah, is named Krishna, and at one point, a character mistakenly calls Appu Arjuna. There's even a dialogue saying, 'Ek kutte ki wajah se Mahabharata shuru aur khatam hui thi.'

It starts off as an interesting idea, but I don't think it gets a satisfying payoff. It eventually feels forced. That makes its two-and-a-half-hour runtime feel like a drag.

RK: I didn't have any complaints about the performances though.

MS: Well, I thought Pankaj Tripathi was underutilised. Rajesh Kumar as a crooked cop was great. Geeta Agrawal, as Appu's Bengali-speaking mother, was slightly over the top. Her performance reminded me of Rani Mukerji in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. She is a fantastic actor, especially after Saiyaara, but here I felt the performance was a little exaggerated.

RK: I must say the songs were terrible. They worked in the trailer, but not in the film.

RK: This film also reminded me of other dog films. Like, Teri Meherbaniyan comes to mind immediately. Jackie Shroff may have been the hero, but that dog was the real star. Even today, if I watch it I start crying. Then there is Chillar Party and, of course, 777 Charlie.

MS: Compared to those films, what do you think Ohh My Dog lacks?

RK: It tries to put too much into one story. It didn't need so many layers. The human-animal relationship alone was enough. But this film reminds us of something we have forgotten, that a dog is still man's best friend.

If people leave the theatre and feed even two stray dogs, I think the director has achieved something meaningful.

MS: Between Oscar and Momo, who was your favourite?

RK: Oscar. He saves a human being and stays with us throughout the film. Momo is the one being searched for, so naturally we spend more time with Oscar. Both are beautiful dogs, though.

MS: To sum it up, I think the emotional beats land because the film's heart is in the right place. I just wish it had been edited much more tightly. The execution could have been sharper. But yes, Ohh My Dog has something different to offer.

As for dog lovers, this is definitely a film to catch.

RK: Go watch Momo and Oscar!