Thank God is the story of a man who had a life-changing experience. Ayan Kapoor (Sidharth Malhotra) was a successful person in the field of real estate. After the demonetization episode of 2016, he faced a huge loss. At present, he is on the verge of selling his bungalow. He lives with his wife Ruhi Kapoor (Rakul Preet Singh), an inspector, and daughter Pihu (Kiara Khanna). Ayaan gets angry at them for being temperamental and petty. He is also stressed about not finding a buyer for his house. One day, he is driving fast when a biker unexpectedly comes in front of him. Ayan looks back to scold him. This is when he collides with another car and meets with a horrific accident. When Ayan regains consciousness, he finds himself with Yamadoot (Mahesh Balraj) and CG (Ajay Devgn). CG physically tells him that he is in the hospital now. He also tells her that she can survive, if she plays the ‘game of life’ and comes out with flying colours. The rules of the game are simple: two narrow cylinders are placed on either side of the ion. He will be given some work. If he fails in the task, the spectators watching the game will throw the black ball into one cylinder and if he succeeds, they will throw the white ball into the other cylinder. If the cylinder overflows with black balls, he will be thrown into hell. If the other cylinder with the white ball overflows, he will survive. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Thank God is based on Anders Matthiessen’s Danish film What Goes Around [2009]. Akash Kaushik and Madhur Sharma’s story is novel and entertaining. Screenplay by Akash Kaushik and Madhur Sharma is simple. They have written the script in such a way that a common man will be able to understand and understand it easily. However, the film lacks consistent humor. Akash Kaushik and Madhur Sharma’s dialogues suit the mood and theme of the film.
Indra Kumar’s direction is neat and complex. Like the script, his direction is also simple and ensures that common people are able to get the message of the film. What is commendable is that while delivering the message, the film does not turn into propaganda. Moreover, it is a pure entertainer and therefore appeals to families. On the flipside, there are few surprises in the first half. The makers released two trailers and it gave away a lot about the film’s story and specific plot points. Therefore, one already knows what is going to happen next at different places. Secondly, Indra Kumar is known for doing a lot of comedy in his films. There was a lot of scope for humor here and sadly he kept the humor quotient to a minimum.
Thank God begins on a subtle note, explaining Ian’s characteristics through voiceover. His bungalow transaction scene is funny. CG’s entry is heroic. Actions related to anger, greed, jealousy and delusion are okay as it is shown in the propaganda. The bank robbery sequences here are different, the first one is funny and the other one is touching. After the interval, poignant scenes prevail, especially Ayaan’s conversations with his mother (Seema Pahwa) and his sister (Urmila Kanetkar). The twist in the last act is unexpected and makes for a fantastic watch. The film ends on a beautiful note.
Siddharth Malhotra played his role very well. He does not go overboard and hence, his performance becomes impressive. Ajay Devgn has a supporting part. But since he’s in the whole film, it doesn’t seem like it. Performance wise, he is quite entertaining. Rakul Preet Singh has limited screen time but makes up for it with her acting. Kiara Khanna is cute. The same is true of seeing limits. Mahesh Balraj hams. Urmila Kanetkar is fine. Kanalwajit Singh (Ayaan’s father) leaves an impression with a cameo. Kiku Sharda (the elevator guy), Sumit Gulati (the first potential buyer of the bungalow) and Vikram Kochhar (Inspector Tambe) are funny. Gyanendra Tripathi’s (Bank Robber) performance is appropriate. Nora Fatehi is simply sizzling.
The songs are decent and moving. The title song is also quite good. The songs ‘Hania Ve’ and ‘Dil De Diya’ are also fine and used beautifully in the film. Amar Mahil’s background score has cinematic appeal.
Asim Bajaj’s cinematography is top notch. Bhavik M Dalwadi’s production design is a bit difficult. Clothing is realistic, yet fashionable. Abujani Sandeep Khosla and Maneka Harisinghani outfits for Nora Fatehi are hot. NY VFXWaala’s VFX is OK. Dharmendra Sharma’s editing is sharp as a lot is packed into 121 minutes.
Overall, Thank God is a film that entertains and enlightens. It is a perfect family entertainment this Diwali and is likely to grow with positive word of mouth.
