‘What’s the proof that God exists?’

‘Can you see Oxygen? Or for that matter, air? But you know it exists because you can breathe and you are alive’

‘Exactly my point, my friend! There is some proof that air exists. What is the proof that God exists? There are many that He doesn’t. Poverty, murders, genocides, epidemics, wars….take your pick’

I could never win the arguments with my friend who was an atheist. She and KanjiBhai would have got along well. KanjiBhai who? No, you are unlikely to ask that question - because I was probably the last person in India to watch ‘Oh My God’ when it was aired on TV last weekend.

But in case you have beaten me to it, here is the story in a nutshell. Kanji Bhai (Paresh Rawal) owns a shop selling Idols – Mahadev, Krishna, Hanuman, Sai Baba – name a God and you will find his idol in the shop. Owing to his expertize in passing off tap water as Holy water and idols bought in Holy places as ancient treasure personally handed to him by some saint, he is doing well – albeit at the cost of his hapless religious customers. But despite being surrounded by God all throughout the day, Kanji Bhai doesn’t believe in Him, much to the annoyance of his devout wife.

Call it the wrath of God, if you believe in God, or a mere coincidence if you don’t, an earthquake hits Mumbai. The neighborhood shop that is decrepit enough to be knocked over by a mere whiff stays untouched and Kanji Bhai’s shop is razed to the ground. Never mind, he says, though shell-shocked. There is always the insurance company. He, however, gets another shock when the insurance company in question calls the quake ‘an act of God’ and refuses to cough up the money.

Cornered from all sides, Kanji Bhai decides to sue God, only to find that no lawyer is willing to fight his case. When one lawyer finally agrees, he tells Kanjibhai that you need an address of the person who you want to sue. And so the summons is sent to those who ‘supposedly’ represent God on earth – namely the sadhus, the babas and the maiyyas. India, however, is a secular country. So when people from other religions come forward to join the claim, notices are also sent to Maulawis and church priests. The Press, the religious community and common man on the street all have opinion about this ongoing battle between God and Kanji Bhai. Just when he feels that he is fighting a lost battle, someone comes to his rescue – someone who identifies himself as ‘Krishna Vasudev Yadav from Gokul’!

Who is this guy? Where has he come from? Is he able to help KanjiBhai? If you want answers to all these questions, you better watch the movie (if you haven’t already!). J

I did. To tell you the truth, to begin with, I had got a stack of things to be completed while watching the movie. But when ‘Krishna Vasudev Yadav from Gokul’ turned up, I swept everything aside and sat glued to the screen. And no, I am not an ardent fan of Akshay Kumar – though I liked him in Bhool Bhulaiyya and all Heraferi movies.

I did so because I realized that though I am not an atheist like KanjiBhai, some of his questions are mine too. And I wanted answers.

I did so because I don’t believe that keeping fasts, walking barefoot to the temples or going to the Holy men is the way to reach God. And I wanted to know if I am right.

I did so because I knew who this ‘‘Krishna Vasudev Yadav from Gokul’ was (no surprises there!). And I wanted to know how, if at all, he helps KanjiBhai.

At the end of the movie, I got answers to some of my questions and some – like e.g. why a bus full of pilgrims on its way to a Holy shrine meets with an accident killing all on board - were left unanswered.

But as I pass 2-3 shops, full of idols like Kanjibhai’s shop, on my way to and from office, I recall what one of the Holy men (Mithun Chakrabarti) says to KanjiBhai in the end ‘even if people are listening to you now, they will come back to us eventually. Because they are not God-loving people, they are God-fearing people’. 

Oh My God! More prophetic words were never said!