Imagine if the 2012 popular satire OMG: Oh My God was released today. The public scrutiny and the censor board would not have let the film see the light of day. The film, telling the story of an atheist filing a lawsuit against God when his shop is destroyed due to an earthquake, was an extremely bold move taken by the makers back then to present something unique to the Indian audience.
It was welcomed and loved with open arms back then, but keeping the intolerant nature of our people and the government today, filmmakers think twice before presenting a social topic by including the involvement of one of our most beloved deities in Indian culture. Especially, when the topic is sex education. Despite the 25 modifications and the A certificate, the bold messaging of OMG 2 deeply resonates with the audience and makes a point about the need to educate them about an issue that is still considered taboo in many households.
Divine Laughter and Justice: When a Devotee Dad Defends Truth
Just like the first film, OMG 2 is a satirical comedy-drama where the protagonist teaches us a thing or two about the relevance of keeping broader perspectives in society with some divine help. However, this time the protagonist is a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. One day Vivek, his son, is expelled from school due to allegations of immoral behavior.
Kanti recognizes after the confrontation that his kid had been the victim of false information and misdirection. Kanti, who is distraught and unable to handle the situation, intends to leave the town with his family—that is until a heavenly intervention points him in the direction of the truth. In a dramatic courtroom scenario, Kanti then makes the decision to take on everyone responsible by hauling them to court to enforce comprehensive education in schools.
OMG 2: Bridging Divinity and Education, All While Navigating Taboos
Writer and director Amit Rai is taking on a huge responsibility by attempting to normalize conversations about sex education in schools and he does not miss a mark in living up to it. Adding to that, the angle of providing the protagonist some divine help is walking a very thin line. Considering the fact that the audience is quite intolerant as they were before when entertainment and religion were identified as two separate entities.
The audience’s perception never tilted towards associating the two with each other. But OMG 2 succeeds with flying colors on how to maintain the spirituality of our Indian culture and raise its voice against the people who turn a blind eye to the truth about sex education. The film tells us how sex education is deeply rooted in our spiritual books and history along with the necessity of speaking openly about it, especially for teenagers.
Star Power and Subtle Brilliance: A Cinematic Mix That Charms
The performances, of course, do give a major boost to the quality of the film. What else do you expect anything different from good, or even excellent, with Pankaj Tripathi in the cast. The man simply exudes sweetness and innocence in his character that makes you root for his goal of teaching society a thing or two about the topic.
Akshay Kumar is back with another understated role that will make him reminisce about the time when he sought out stories that challenged him as an actor and wanted to try something different before he started to become the flag bearer of nationalism.
Yami Gautam proved she was the perfect rival for Pankaj Tripathi’s character. It is quite impressive to see her growth as an actor who is now choosing characters that have less screen time and are only present for a brief amount of time only to act as a motivating factor for the protagonist.
Censoring OMG 2: When Fear Overshadows Film’s Bold Intent
The censorship for OMG 2 is a bittersweet reminder of the fact that people have become so afraid of how we might react to anything bold and challenging amidst the same template of filmmaking in Bollywood. The irony is that this movie intended for teenagers to be made aware of sex education but is now restricted to that very age group.
You can clearly see in some scenes where the dialogue has been dubbed over the actual lines that would not have changed the intention of the film by any means. But with the people showering it with so much love amidst the thunderous response in the Gadar 2 box office collections, it seems that the audience is progressive enough to not look for any sort of propaganda in films that are meant to educate them.
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