Thank God (film)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Thank God
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIndra Kumar
Written by
  • Aakash Kaushik
  • Madhur Sharma
Based on Sorte kugler (2009)
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAseem Bajaj
Edited byDharmendra Sharma
Music byScore:
Amar Mohile
Songs:
Tanishk Bagchi
Rochak Kohli
Chamath Sangeeth
Production
companies
  • T-Series Films
  • Maruti International
  • Soham Rockstar
  • Anand Pandit Motion Pictures
Distributed byAA Films
Release date
  • 25 October 2022 (2022-10-25)
Running time
121 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹98 crore[2][3]
Box officeest. ₹49.55 crore[4]

Thank God[5] is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language fantasy comedy drama film directed by Indra Kumar.[6][7] It is an official remake of the 2009 Danish film Sorte kugler (What Goes Around).[8][9] It stars Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh.[10][11]

Thank God was released theatrically on 25 October 2022 during Diwali festivities. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial failure.[4][12][13]

Plot

Ayaan Kapoor is an extremely greedy, selfish and egoistic real estate businessman who is in a debt of ₹16 crores. When he’s in a bad mood, he yells at people and expects them to be nice to him when he’s happy. His day to day life involves carrying out his real estate business in 80% black and 20% white money, visiting a nearby Hanuman temple every Tuesday and Saturday to smear the idol of Hanuman with holy paste, offer laddus, pour oil on the idol and greedily ask for petty things, then watching his favourite actress Nora Fatehi’s songs. He has a booming real estate business, but falls into debt due to the demonetisation, as he has a lot of black money. He wants to sell his mansion to clear his debts but can’t find any buyer and starts living at his wife's house with his wife, Inspector Ruhi, and daughter Pihu.

One day, Ayaan gets involved in a road accident, and regains consciousness in Heaven, where Yamaduta and Chitragupta give him a chance to go back to Earth and survive the accident, by asking him to play a game called Game of Life. He is shown a vision of his physical body currently being in the operation theatre and is told by CG that his surgery will take 5 hours, during which his soul will play the game.

The rules of the game: There are two containers - one for white balls, which represent Ayaan’s positives, and the other for black balls, which represent his sins and weaknesses. The containers would be filled with white or black balls by the residents of heaven (who are the audience members of the game), which will be considered their votes. The votes would be given based on how Ayaan does his virtual tasks and how he behaves in a certain situation which he is put in. If the container with the black balls overflows, he will be sent to hell and if the container with the white balls overflows, he gets to return to earth.

CG starts to show Ayaan his sins one after the other - his jealousy of his loyal loving police officer wife Ruhi, his lust for his favourite actress, his inhuman nature which he shows by ignoring the old hungry beggar outside the Hanuman temple he visits frequently, his fake devotion for Lord Hanuman, his lie which traumatised and destroyed his sister, his frustration and anger which worries his wife, his selfishness due to which he can’t spend time with his daughter even on her birthday, him looking down on his mother, him seeing only the negatives and not the positives in other people.

When he’s shown his sin “jealousy”, Ayaan argues with CG that he finds it unfair that his wife became a police officer when she is actually incapable of it, but he failed to become a police officer even if he’s highly capable. So CG recreates a situation virtually in which Ayaan is put in the same place as his wife was, in real life - a bank hostage situation wherein a poor man holds 24 people hostage, to get some money for his son’s surgery. Ayaan fails to be a good police officer in the virtual situation, and argues that it was a very tough situation and anyone in his place would have failed. Then, CG plays the real footage of how Ruhi handled the situation with her intelligence, bravery and empathy. Ayaan is stunned. Similarly, one after the other, Ayaan is showed all the times his weaknesses got the better of him - that is, his other bad qualities like his lust (which made him almost get intimate with his favourite actress), his greed (which displaced an elderly couple from their ancestral home), his inhuman nature (which killed a hungry woman) and when he tries to reason with CG, he is put in that situation virtually and shown what he did wrong.

The black balls keep on getting accumulated but in a situation where Ayaan takes the help of a lifeline (CG’s help) and shows love to his mom instead of belittling her, he starts to get white balls. He is happy. He is then tasked to tell his sister the truth about their childhood home burning down. In their childhood, during Diwali, one of Ayaan’s rockets misfires and ends up burning their house but when his parents ask him how the fire started, he panics and puts the blame on his sister saying she lit a lamp and placed it next to a curtain due to which it caught fire. His sister is gaslit and ends up believing it’s her fault. To make things worse, their father stops talking to her. So she lives with the guilt that her carelessness burnt down their house and that their father never forgave her. In heaven, Ayaan meets and gets beaten up by his father due to which he is sent to the earth briefly to apologise to his sister. He finally tells her the truth and takes the blame on himself. He wins by earning white balls (the white ball container overflows) due to which Chitragupta declares Ayaan a winner, awards him a check of 18 crores by getting his house sold and allows him to return to earth.

CG then asks Ayaan if he would like to donate some white balls to the next contestant. Ayaan’s selfishness shows up again and he says “no”, because he doesn’t care who the next contestant is, he just wants to leave.

However, Chitragupta sees the phone number of Ayaan’s favourite actress (with whom he was about to get intimate) on Ayaan's hand, and declares that Ayaan has cheated, thus Ayaan gets many black balls. Additionally, CG reveals to Ayaan that the car which collided with Ayaan’s car was being driven by his wife Ruhi and now, Ruhi and Pihu are battling for their lives in the hospital. He tells Ayaan that they are the next contestants on the Game of Life, but he didn’t care to donate some white balls to them. Chitragupta then shows him the footage, where his wife and relatives pool money to buy him a new car after hearing that his current car would be towed due to his bank loan. Ayaan is horrified and very angry at himself for being so selfish. Suddenly, the white balls get replaced by black balls and black balls overflow from both the containers and now Ayaan has to die and go to hell. But CG changes his mind - he sends Ayaan back to Earth to make him experience hell on earth, which is, living without his family even after realising their importance.

So Ayaan returns to earth (his surgery is successful and he regains consciousness). The doctor tells him that Pihu and Ruhi are in a coma and that both of Pihu's kidneys and one of Ruhi's kidneys are damaged. Now Ayaan is a changed man and values his family immensely. So he begs the doctor to take away both his kidneys and give one each to his wife and daughter. But the doctor refuses, saying that’s not possible as Ayaan can’t live without kidneys. He is asked by the doctor to choose between his wife and daughter. Ayaan is devastated, he thinks the whole situation over and out of helplessness, he commits suicide (by consuming his pain killer) so that both of his kidneys can be taken and Ruhi and Pihu can live. Before killing himself, he signs the donor form and leaves an emotional message to the doctor saying he wants his family to live and he doesn’t care about himself.

This time, Ayaan returns to heaven, but as a hero. CG, Ayaan’s father and all the other residents of heaven are proud of him. Chitragupta blesses Ayaan and his family with a new life. So Ayaan returns to earth again, that is, in the hospital, he regains consciousness after 3 days. The doctors give Ayaan news that Ruhi and Pihu have undergone successful kidney transplants because of a man who brought in his dead relative's body. Ayaan wants to thank the man for saving his family’s life, but the doctors say they know nothing about the man except that he wore a locket around his neck with the letters “CG”. Ayaan cries happy tears.

Having been given a second chance at life, Ayaan vows to accumulate only “punya” now and be a loving, supportive and responsible family man. Ayaan gets his ancestral home repaired and hands over the keys to his sister and her husband. He also adopts the grandson of the hungry old woman who passed away due to Ayaan’s refusal to help her. He is shown celebrating his wife and loving his family like never before.

Cast

Production

The official announcement of the film was made on 7 January 2021.[17] Principal photography began in Mumbai on 21 January,[18][19][20] and wrapped on 11 January 2022.[21]

Soundtrack

Thank God
YouTube

The songs are composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kohli and Chamath Sangeeth. The lyrics are written by Manoj Muntashir, Rashmi Virag, Sameer, Dulan ARX and Mellow D. The film score is composed by Amar Mohile.[22]

The first song "Manike" is a remake of "Manike Mage Hithe", sung by the same singer Yohani.[23][24]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Manike"Rashmi Virag, Dulan ARX, Mellow DTanishk Bagchi, Chamath SangeethYohani, Jubin Nautiyal, Surya Ragunnathan3:17
2."Haaniya Ve"Rashmi ViragTanishk BagchiJubin Nautiyal3:37
3."Dil De Diya"Rashmi ViragRochak KohliAnand Raaj Anand4:34
4."Thank God - Title Track"Manoj MuntashirRochak KohliArijit Singh, Eklavya4:06
Total length:15:34

Reception

Thank God received mixed reviews from critics.[25][26]

News 18 rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Thank God is an entertainer with its share of funny moments".[32] Pratikshya Mishra of The Quint rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film goes from comedy to grief to introspection rapidly. While all these emotions are deployed well individually, as a whole, the film suffers from this constant tonal shift".[33] Tushar Joshi of India Today rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Despite Ajay's star power and Siddharth's charm, the film fails to hold the viewers' interest".[34]

References

  1. ^ "Thank God". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Ajay Devgn-Sidharth Malhotra movie, Thank God: Opening weekend gets lukewarm response". The Economic Times. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Thank God (2022)- Box Office India". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Thank God Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Thank God". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra, Rakul Preet Singh to star in Indra Kumar's Thank God". India TV. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh and Sidharth Malhotra to star in Thank God". The Indian Express. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  8. ^ Hungama, Bollywood (25 November 2022). "Box office Business Talk | BIZ TALK: Bollywood's resurrection has just commenced with DRISHYAM 2, but the industry needs several DRISHYAM 2s for its achche din". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  9. ^ "'Thank God' trailer: Sidharth Malhotra, Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh in comedy about second chances". Scroll.in. 9 September 2022. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2022. Indra Kumar's remake of the Norwegian film 'Sorte Kugler' will be released on October 25.
  10. ^ "Vimal Ajay Devgn announces Thank God with Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh". India Today. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh to star in 'Thank God'". The Hindu. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra, Rakul Preet Singh starrer Thank God to release on Diwali 2022". Bollywood Hungama. 17 June 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Box Office Report: 'Thank God' or 'Ram Setu', which film will rock this Diwali?". Asianet News. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Thank God poster: Ajay Devgn's first look as Chitragupt revealed". Hindustan Times. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Nora Fatehi and Sidharth Malhotra to dance to Yohani's Manike Mage Hithe song". The Times of India. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Nora Fatehi and Sidharth Malhotra to feature in the Hindi version of 'Manike Mage Hithe' in Thank God". Bollywood Hungama. 20 October 2021. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra, Rakul Preet announce their new film Thank God". Filmfare. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  18. ^ "'Thank God': Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh's film goes on the floor in Mumbai". The Times of India. 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Thank God: Shoot begins for Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh, Sidharth Malhotra's comedy film". The Free Press Journal. 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  20. ^ "After Mayday, Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh team up for Indra Kumar's Thank God". Zoom. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Ajay Devgn finishes patchwork of Thank God; shoot of Sidharth Malhotra co-starrer now complete". Bollywood Hungama. 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Thank God – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jiosaavn. 22 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Sri Lankan sensation Yohani's blockbuster song 'Manike Mage Hithe' to have its Bollywood debut in Bhushan Kumar-Indra Kumar's Thank God". Bollywood Hungama. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Manike Mage Hithe singer Yohani to make Bollywood debut with a song in Thank God". India Today. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Thank God box office collection Day 1: Sidharth Malhotra-Ajay Devgn film off to a decent start". India Today. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  26. News 18. 26 October 2022. Archived
    from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  27. ^ "Thank God Movie Review: THANK GOD is a perfect family entertainer this Diwali that enlightens". Bollywood Hungama. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Thank God movie review: Ajay Devgn-Sidharth Malhotra's 'game of life' is perfect Diwali entertainer". Firstpost. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Thank God Movie Review : A family entertainer that is stuck in the 90s". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  30. ^ "Thank God Review". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  31. ^ "Thank God Review: Sidharth Malhotra's fantasy comedy is a formula film that is enjoyable in parts". The Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  32. News 18. 25 October 2022. Archived
    from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  33. ^ "'Thank God' Review: Tough To Subscribe to the Film's Outdated Idea of Morality". The Quint. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  34. ^ "Thank God Movie Review : Sidharth Malhotra, Ajay Devgn's film needs divine intervention to save itself". India Today. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thank_God_(film)&oldid=1220098097"