Screenwriter and lyricist Mayur Puri recently opened up about crafting one of the most iconic moments in Om Shanti Om—the emotional and life-affirming Filmfare Award speech delivered by Shah Rukh Khan’s character, Om Prakash Makhija. In a candid reflection, Puri shared the personal roots of the dialogue and how it was inspired by a speech he had written for himself, long before he was ever part of the film industry.
“In dialogue writing, we always try to catch the truth of a character,” Puri explained. “What is the true emotion, what is the exact thing they’re trying to say? That was the focus when I wrote for Om Prakash.” He went on to describe Om as a “positive, happy soul,” a struggling junior artist in 1970s Bollywood who, despite being 30 and never having landed a leading role, remains hopeful. “He’s a mama’s boy, a lovely guy, though not a great actor—and he knows it,” Puri added, referencing one of the film’s self-aware lines: “Hamare poore khandaan mein overacting ka khoon daudta hai.”
When director Farah Khan briefed him that the speech would be a pivotal moment in the first half of the film, and that it had to be “life-affirming and iconic,” Puri immediately knew what to do. “I told her, ‘I already have the speech,’” he said. “I’d written it years ago for myself, just in case I ever won a Filmfare Award. So now, if I ever do win, I’ll have to come up with a new one—because that speech now belongs to Om.”
Om Shanti Om, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh and directed by Farah Khan, became a blockbuster upon its release in 2007. Produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies Entertainment, the film marked Deepika Padukone’s Hindi film debut and starred Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role as Om Prakash Makhija and Om Kapoor. The film fused reincarnation drama, Bollywood nostalgia, and revenge thriller, striking a chord with audiences through both its grandeur and emotional core.
Puri’s revelation adds another layer to Om’s heartfelt monologue—a speech that has since become a favorite among fans not just for its optimism, but for its deeply personal origins. In many ways, it’s not just Om’s dream being fulfilled on stage—it’s Mayur Puri’s as well.
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