Ohh My Dog

कहानी-1-असम में एक किशोर अपू का कुत्ता मोमो अचानक गायब हो गया है। पुलिस अंकल का कहना है कि कुछ लोगों को कुत्तों का मांस पसंद है इसलिए इस इलाके से कुत्तों की स्मगलिंग हो रही है। लेकिन तेज दिमाग वाला अपू हार नहीं मानता और आधुनिक तकनीक के सहारे मोमो को तलाशने निकल पड़ता है। कहानी-2-बिहार में एक किशोर श्रमिक प्रिंस अचानक गायब हो गया है। पुलिस का कहना है कि होगा यहीं कहीं, कल तक आ जाएगा। लेकिन तेज दिमाग वाला उसका कुत्ता ऑस्कर हार नहीं मानता और अपने साहस व बुद्धि के सहारे प्रिंस को तलाशने निकल पड़ता है।

It’s easy to admire a film like Ohh My Dog. I was admittedly thinking of punny headlines like “Paw-some” and “Canine and Able” before the screening. In an age of mainstream storytelling that thrives on social posturing and performative faith, it’s almost strange to encounter a movie about the agenda-less bond between children and dogs. Even grumpy skeptics (like myself) can’t doubt the pup-loving intent of it all. Both bases are covered — one journey features geeky boy Apu’s search for his missing pooch Momo across the underbelly of Assam; one journey features lion-hearted indie Oscar single-pawedly solving the case of his abducted young human Prince across the underbelly of Bihar. I can only imagine the logistics of shooting with kids and dogs in chaotic Indian cities without leaning on visual effects. Not to mention the ‘courage’ of showing cops as the bad guys in both narratives.

Loyalty is an endangered sentiment. Even for the most committed non-vegetarians, dogs and cats occupy a completely protected tier of affection. The reason is simple: they are companion animals whose existence is closely linked to ours, and dogs, in particular, form strong, family-like attachments. Don’t we always want the absolute best for our family and close friends? In director Amit Rai’s Ohh My Dog, this unwavering, unconditional bond is explored through the framework of a thriller.

Despite the resemblance in title, Ohh My Dog isn’t a sequel to the OMG franchise, even though Amit Rai also directed OMG 2, starring Pankaj Tripathi. This is a standalone film that celebrates the bond between humans and dogs, championing compassion and kindness towards voiceless beings as the truest form of religion. Metaphorically, it even presents dogs as a manifestation of God—selfless protectors who love unconditionally. Amit Rai’s son Maahi and the family’s indie pet dog Oscar play the sharp-witted Apu and Momo, two inseparable siblings living a happy life in Assam until Momo is kidnapped. Convinced that dog meat smugglers are behind the disappearance, Apu sets out to uncover the truth while the authorities remain largely indifferent. Meanwhile, in Bhopal, Prince, an underage labourer, shares an unlikely bond with a stray dog named Bruno. When Prince goes missing, Bruno becomes the film’s true hero, relentlessly searching for his companion, convinced that something sinister has happened.

If you ever have had the good fortune of having a dog, you know the biggest scare is the house’s main door left ajar. This writer has been a dog parent in the past and is familiar with the turmoil of standing in the street and screaming out, searching for your missing friend. It is thus more heartbreaking to witness Appu (Mahi Rai), one of the young protagonists of Ohh My Dog, suffer through the same fate. His indie, Momo, ran out to fetch a ball but didn’t make it back.