Koi Mil Gaya, Part 9

Back in his bedroom, Rohit stares at the statue from his shrine and wonders why he is being punished when he has committed no sin. He asks the Lord for strength. After a moment the Lord responds with "The Om Song." Rohit looks outside; "The Om Song" seems to be coming from the shed. When Rohit enters the shed, he sees that the computer is processing a bunch of complicated space scientific information. He plays "The Om Song" on the Fisher Price Octopad, and the tune is repeated back to him by the aliens/computer. Then Rohit plays the radio edit of "The Om Song," which the aliens are also down with. They repeat it back to him, then Rohit and the aliens jam for a little while.

Meanwhile, at the Nescafe, the electricity goes on the fritz. (Do people use that expression any more? Is there a hip new term for "going on the fritz" that I should know about?)  As lights flash off and on all around town, Rohit continues to jam with the aliens, while Nisha lies in bed and hugs her pillow. Then the power interruptions hit the Sansui store. Sansui! Sansui! Sansui!

Sonia wakes up, looking startled. I think she was having a bad dream about Sansui. The thunder cracks just outside her wide-open, gusty window. (Don't people in Bollywood movies ever worry about their stuff getting blown all over the place when they leave their windows wide open so the curtains can billow spectacularly?)  Sonia gets up, looks for Rohit, then notices the lights and the jamming emanating from the shed. Remembering what happened the last time massive power surges, thundering rain, and surround-sound "Om Song" improvisation all occurred simultaneously, Sonia runs to the shed.  She screams at Rohit to stop playing with the octopad and unplugs the computer. Then she smacks Rohit but good. It's pretty awesome, and I say this as someone who normally hates movie slapping.  Rekha displays a veneer of almost imperturbable classiness, but deep within, there's clearly some part of her that longs to kick the living crap out of Hrithik Roshan. 

The power goes out all over town; even at Nisha's house. Now how will she hug her pillow? The townspeople run to what I guess is the town square, which is located in a neighborhood that looks strikingly like Stars Hollow. Inspector Khan and Johnny Lever note that this is no ordinary power cut; even light sources that aren't powered by AC current such as flashlights and candles are being extinguished! In Spectacular View of the Hills #8, gigantic roiling storm clouds loom on the horizon. Also looming is…a hugeass spaceship! It looks surprisingly realistic (or as "realistic" as hypothetical alien spaceships can look), especially considering that most of the sets from the film look like they were stolen from the Kasauli High drama department. The townspeople stare in awe at the unexpectedly high-quality CGI work as it passes overhead, causing light sources of all varieties to flicker below it.

The power eventually returns, so Nisha and her parents gather around the fire to watch the TV news. The newscaster explains that Kasauli residents claim to have seen a UFO, but that no one believes them, especially not those fancy space scientists.  More townspeople gather around the TVs at the Sansui store.  If this movie is any indication, Indian newscasts are as plagued by news ticker overuse as American ones. The Saxenas watch the broadcast at their house, sitting on a couch next to a framed photo of Raj that looks as if it was cut out of Tiger Beat magazine.

Helicopters hover toward the camera; Inspector Khan sits in one of them, rocking the requisite aviator shades.  A crowd stands stock-still and watches the helicopters pass overhead. Meanwhile, Khan and the other aviator sunglass-wearing bigwigs in the helicopter (including District Magistrate Harbans Saxena) notice a giant scorched circle in the ground below. As they examine the circle more closely, the bigwigs hazard a guess that the giant spaceship-shaped scorch mark in the earth might have been made by the giant spaceship-shaped spaceship that passed overhead last night. One of the bigwigs suddenly comprehends the enormity of the situation, and quickly seizes on the appropriate response:  a two day official holiday!

Time for a marching band! And people dressed up like elephants and robots! And some totally creepy-looking clowns on stilts. Seriously, one of them looks like he has blood dripping all over his face. Rohit's friends scooter up to his house, dressed equally bizarrely. One of the girls is wearing a giant lampshade that covers the entirety of her head, while another one is dressed as a bunch of fluorescently-colored grapes. Rohit asks what the hell is going on, and Bittu explains that there's a carnival at Mall Road, and that people are dressed up like aliens. The residents of Kasauli are certainly putting a much more festive spin on the extraterrestrial landing than I would have expected. Rohit goes inside to put together his alien costume, which consists of a poncho and an earthenware pot with a face drawn on it. Sonia hears him putting together his half-assed alien costume and comes out to ask him what he's doing. He explains that he's going to the carnival dressed as an alien, but Sonia tells him firmly that he's not allowed to go, because he's "different." Outside, the kids overhear the argument and run away.  Apparently they're also familar with Rekha's scary violent side.

Part 8   Part 10