OH MY DOG MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Oh My Dog is a children drama film written and directed by Sarov Shanmugam. The film is produced by Suriya and Jyotika under the banner 2D Entertainment. It has Arnav Vijay and Arun Vijay in the lead roles while Mahima Nambiar, Vinay, Vijayakumar and others play important supporting roles. The film has music by Nivas K Prasanna and cinematography by Gopinath. The film is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Fernando (Vinay Rai) is a rich businessman who owns the best breeds of dogs. His aim in life is to win the World Dog Agility Championship for the 6th time in a row to equal the world record, for which he subjects his dogs to abuse and cruelty. One of his Siberian Husky gives birth to a blind pup, and he orders his henchmen to kill it because according to him, people or dogs with disabilities are not fit for survival. The blind pup (Simba) somehow escapes the henchmen, and Arjun (Arnav Vijay) discovers it in a swamp, and rescues it. Though initially his parents refuse to keep the pup in the house, it wins over their love and becomes their pet. How Arjun cures Simba's visual impairment and competes at the World Dog Agility Championship forms the rest of the plot.

Arun Vijay plays the role of Shankar, the father of Arjun. The way he's portrayed the strained relationship with his father (played by Vijayakumar) and how he wishes to be a hero for his son at the same time will definitely inspire kids. There are a couple of rousing moments between Arnav and Arun Vijay, which is a delight to watch, and motivational at the same time. The other supporting actors like Mahima Nambiar and Vijayakumar deliver what their roles require. Vinay's looks stereotyped as the villain, and reminds us of the antagonists from 101 Dalmatian series of films.

The cinematography is functional, while there's nothing much to complain about. The songs by Nivas K Prasanna sound pleasant to the ear, and are woven beautifully into the narrative, thereby not slowing down the film's pace.The background score too tries to elevate a lot of scenes, with decent success.

When a film starts with a scene about a competition, and cuts to a scene involving a visually impaired dog, you know where the film is heading towards. It is at this point that the film loses its unpredictable nature. However, how the director handles the rest of the film makes the difference between a film that works and one that doesn't. And it must be said that Oh My Dog does have its own moments.

This is because of the convenience in the writing, considering the target audience is mainly children. Every plot conflict gets resolved within a jiffy after Arjun starts crying. Arjun wants to have the Siberian Husky as a pet. When his dad denies it, he starts crying and the dad decides to get it for him. The dog has to undergo an eye surgery, which is unaffordable for Arjun's family. He cries to the doctor and he decides to spend it out of his own pocket. There is a disqualification scene at the climax, but again Arjun starts crying and the decision is overturned. Even the post climax scene has the same trope repeating. Kids can relate to these moments better.

There is an unwanted fight sequence near the film's climax, which even if removed completely, wouldn't change anything. It has 2 henchmen who are supposed to add the comedy element to the film, but most of their jokes don't work. In short, the film works only when it tries to be a children's film, and when it attempts to be anything more than that the scenes don't work well.

Overall, Oh My Dog is a decent film, but with the amount of potential it had, the opportunities could have been better used. Had the screenplay and plot been a tad more engaging the film would have attracted a lot of eyeballs. For now, it has to remain content that would be enjoyed by kids.