Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘Ohh My Dog’ opens with the sombre funeral of a police dog, complete with a gun salute, as an officer quietly grieves her death and relives the guilt of having separated her from her pups. It’s immediately evident how the makers intend to tie this opening to the rest of the story, which follows two parallel narratives: one about Appu (Maahi Rai), a smart kid investigating the disappearance of his pet Momo from their new home in Assam; the other about Oscar (Bruno), a spirited, adorable mongrel searching for his missing best friend Prince, an underage migrant worker who has likely been kidnapped in Patna.
Directed by Amit Rai (OMG 2), ‘Ohh My Dog’ is a family-friendly children’s film in which a little boy and a cute dog turn detectives, determined to find their missing friends. Quick montages establish the deep bonds between the kids and their pets. Even Appu’s mother (Geeta Agrawal Sharma) treats Momo like her second son and reduced to tears when they realize he is nowhere to be found.
Pankaj Tripathi plays a teacher who helps the migrant children and Oscar persuade the local Patna police to investigate Prince’s disappearance. Meanwhile, in Assam, Appu’s mother approaches the cops to report Momo missing. Unfortunately, in both cases, the police are not merely indifferent but corrupt, rotten to the core and pretty determined to do absolutely nothing. Never mind that Prince’s mind works faster than those of all the cops put together. Appu soon gathers enough clues to get closer to Momo’s last known location, while Oscar proves equally adept at picking up the scent of those who took Prince away. While neither is a simple ‘missing case’, I will skip the details to keep this spoiler-free.
In some cute visual symbolism, both detectives in ‘Ohh My Dog’ are associated with shades of blue, white and yellow. These colours feature on Appu’s jacket as he teams up with his tuition teacher to find Momo, while Oscar sports a scarf in the same shades. Both are fiercely loyal friends, relentless in their search despite the setbacks. Appu is dismissed by the local cops because of his age, while poor Oscar is often mistreated. Neither lets others dissuade them and continue undeterred. Oscar sniffs out the culprits like a professional hound.
One of the most hilariously exaggerated scene in ‘Ohh My Dog’ has Oscar practically performing puja at a temple before getting closer to finding his Prince. You can almost sense Amit Rai wanting to make OMG 3 but running out of ways to get God himself to descend upon Earth as the lead character. So, instead, he brings in Hanuman-ji to guide Oscar in his hunt for the kidnappers. Subtlety isn’t the film’s strongest suit.
In fact, the climactic scenes also offer computer nerd Appu a bit of divine intervention and sheer luck in tracking down Momo. Child actor Maahi Rai confidently portrays Appu as a determined, razor-sharp boy genius… think young Sheldon, but with far greater emotional intelligence. He reads social cues better than most adults around him, and it is this uncanny ability combined with his tech-savvy intelligence, that helps him crack the case
Bruno, who plays Oscar, is easily the best thing about ‘Ohh My Dog’. He has the looks, spunk and spirit of a Bollywood hero – the furry friend you’d want by your side on a bad day, and every day. Even when the film veers into the downright ridiculous, occasionally resembling an over-the-top Rohit Shetty action extravaganza, Oscar keeps you invested in his quest and rooting for him to emerge victorious.
Overall, ‘Ohh My Dog’ is a fun family watch, even if it struggles with pacing and gets repetitive, exaggerated and heavy-handed along the way. Watch it for the good boy Oscar.
Rating: 3 stars on 5. Watch ‘Ohh My Dog’ on Netflix.
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