No human was hurt in the making of this film, says Amit Rai as he explains the unique selling point of his recent film Ohh My Dog with tongue firmly in cheek. The title is a play on the writer-director’s last title, Oh My God 2, his first commercial and critical success after years of struggle following the National Award-winning Road To Sangam. The inspiration, Amit says, was the dog at home whom he calls Oscar. “You live under the impression that you have rescued a dog, brought him home, and you are feeding him. Within a month, my ego gave way, and I realised that it was not me; it was the dog that was cradling me. If someone asks me if I have to save one person in life, I will save Oscar without blinking an eye.”A dog, he says, absorbs your loneliness and gives you unconditional love, but it cannot be explained to someone who does not have a pet. “It is like we say that a child gives birth to a mother. You will understand what a dog does to you only when you bring one into your life. That’s why I suggest that those who have a pet watch the film, but those who haven’t must definitely watch it.”Coming at a time when the fate of stray dogs is being debated in courtrooms and resident welfare associations, the film, Amit says, draws from the famous Mahabharata story in which Yudhishthir insists that he would enter the gate of heaven only with his dog. “Dharamraj says the dog has followed his duty; he will fulfil his. The dog stayed with him when his near and dear ones left him one by one. Yudhishthir’s righteousness helps the canine cross over.”