Film: Thank God

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra, Rakul Preet Singh, Seema Pahwa

Director: Indra Kumar

Rating: 3.5 Moons

You must have often counted your blessings but have you ever counted the number of paap (sins) and punya (good deeds) you've done in your daily routine life? Isn't it rare? However, it now looks like Thank God will change it for all completely. Headlined by Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh, Indra Kumar's Diwali entertainer comes across as a fun, easy-to-handle phuljhadi but once the surface is scratched off, it is a high-voltage and colourful rocket.  

Thank God orbits around Ayaan Kapoor (Sidharth Malhotra), a short-tempered, egoistic and greedy real-estate dealer. He is married to Ruhi (Rakul Preet Singh), a diligent cop, a dutiful mother, and a caring wife. They have a daughter named Pihu. However, one day, on his way to a meeting, Ayaan meets with an accident. After a fatal car crash, he is transported to Yamlok where CG (Ajay Devgn) presides over the throne. As the sword of death is hanging over his head, Ayaan is forced to play the Game Of Life (inspired by Kaun Banega Crorepati) with CG (short form of Chitragupt). If he emerges victorious, he will get the boon to be alive. 

Ayaan is no saint. He has materialistic problems like anger, jealousy, greed, lust and many more. Despite being an egoistic and arrogant man, his life lies in his family. Will he be able to clear CG's exam with flying colours? The answer lies in Thank God. 

The trailer of Thank God was clearly delusional. While the audience will think of it as a humourous, no-brainer comedy entertainer, there's a lot more that the film has to offer. Sometimes through the medium of laughs and sometimes with tears and drama. Comedy is one of the toughest genres to pull and the strength has to lie in the writing. Thank God, the film certainly has that. In the first half, there are ample moments to tickle your funny bone. Due to the crisp and right runtime, there is no space for the humour to fall flat. To balance the recipe of a true entertainer, Thank God adds spices in the second half to provide a more wholesome yet dramatic experience. 

Though the second half is a complete shocker, it doesn't come with zero flaws. Post-interval, the pace of Thank God slackens and picks up once again in the pre-climax and climax sequences. One will never see what's coming no matter how alert you are. Indra makes good use of his actors and applies their strengths in the right situations. 

Ajay Devgn, a master of comedy as well as drama, excels in the former portions in Thank God. As CG, he oozes swag, and creates the right kind of impact through his body language and baritone. He is the coolest God we have seen in Bollywood to date. Allowing Sidharth Malhotra to take the limelight, the actor takes a step back but without compromising on his role requirements and quality of performance. 

Sidharth gets to steal the thunder in Thank God. While there could have been some improvement in his comic timing, he bounces back in the heavier and more intense drama portions in the second half. It is a delight to watch the actor as Ayaan who will teach you a lesson with the sweetest and most humourous pill. Rakul Preet Singh does justice to Ruhi. She exudes a different charm on the silver screen. As a catalyst to the story, Rakul stands her own ground in the film. Seema Pahwa is underutilised in Thank God. 

Thank God relies heavily on CGI which is fairly good. Nora Fatehi's Manike with Sidharth is hot and sensuous. It is the only memorable song with a high recall value. The cinematography is perfect and so is the editing. 

Not a masterpiece but Thank God is a true Diwali family entertainer which can be watched with family and friends. The humour goes for a toss suddenly leaving certain sequences dry and dull before the drama catches up. Nevertheless, all we need is some quality fun time in the cinema which Thank God offers undoubtedly.

PeepingMoon gives Thank God 3.5 Moons