You know a movie is going to embrace every hackneyed trope known to filmmakers when it opens with a commentator enthusiastically congratulating a dog called Hitler. It’s a canine talent show and of course Hitler belongs to the villain. A villain (Vinay Rai) so cartoonishly evil, he walks on screen for the first time in a lurid purple suit with fur lapels. Vinay Rai struts, growls, calls his show dogs his “golden slaves” and delivers a masterclass in how not to play a role. He seems to have based himself entirely on Cruella from 101 Dalmatians, only it’s a paltry imitation of a classic baddie.
Director Sarov Shanmugam wants to tell a heartfelt story of a blind Siberian Husky and Arjun (Arnav Vijay), a young boy who adopts him against many odds. That would have been better accomplished if he’d tried to side-step at least a few cliches instead of having head-on collisions with every conceivable one. Simba, the Husky is born in Vinay’s kennel. The moment Vinay finds out the puppy is blind, he tells his staff to kill it. No, it cannot be given away to someone else because “it will breed and ruin the bloodline.” In case you thought he was only horrid to his dogs, he also keeps his disabled, wheelchair-bound brother hidden to save himself from “embarrassment”.
Does Simba the Husky puppy need expensive surgery? A Russian doctor passing through Ooty where the film is set bears all the costs. Does the villain have two bumbling henchmen working for him? Check. (They even drive around in a van painted over with pictures of dogs, and large metal ears attached on top). In Tamil movie-style, both henchmen are dark-skinned, have nappy hair and in a bid to mock jewellery popular with men from working-class backgrounds, one of them wears heavy key-chains as earings.
Oh My Dog escapes developing plot holes in internal logic, because it does away with logic altogether. The film may be targeted at children, but does it really have to be so patronisingly predictable? Why assume that children are incapable of understanding stories with intelligence and depth? Why give them a unimpressive rehash of ‘90s American dog-themed films with none of the believable warmth? Arjun is made to constantly resort to baby-talk while speaking to other people, not dogs, when the director wants to convey a moving scene even though Arjun is clearly too old for it. The effect is jarring rather than endearing and a disservice to the child actor.
The film features three generations of an actor family. Veteran star Vijay Kumar, his son Arun Vijay and his son Arnav Vijay. Well-known faces like Mahima Nambiyar and Manobala also flit in and out of the movie. Yet, not a single character manages to even remotely move you. Except for the ever-adorable dogs that play a younger and older Simba.
It’s admirable that the filmmaker wants to make a positive impact on young viewers about disability and empathy. Intentions alone don’t make movies effective though.
From terrible acting all-around, lack-lustre characterisations, cringe-worthy music and every predictable belaboured twist and turn - all of it has you repeatedly doubting if the run-time is really just two hours. On the whole, Oh my Dog is an insufferable bore made all the more painful for me by my flatmate keeping up a string of excruciating dog puns: “Can this movie get any worse? Not paw-sible.” Indeed.