Belief in God should be your last resort. Since few people are interested in discussing sex education in schools—which is prohibited in certain Indian states—a new movie fearlessly enters the scene with a divine phone-a-friend edition by its side. The spiritual sequel to Amit Rai’s spiritualism-themed OMG is titled OMG 2. By having an atheist sue the Earthly representatives of god, the 2014 play called into question the commercialization of religion. In the film, Akshay Kumar played Krishna, a supporter of the litigant’s cause and his or her faith. In place of Shiva himself, Kumar’s persona is referred to as Shiva’s representative due to censorship.
When a devoted Shaivite’s teenage son is discovered masturbating in class, the dreadlocked deity steps in to help the family. Kanti (Pankaj Tripathi), who at first reprimanded Vivek (Aarush Varma), eventually realizes the boy’s situation. Kanti sues the school’s administration as well as the pharmacist, physician, and seller of sexual performance-enhancing drugs who convinced Vivek that sex learning is shameful and that manhood is determined by penis size. Judge Purushottam (Pavan Malhotra) and shrewd defense attorney Kamini (Yami Gautam Dhar) oppose Kanti. There are numerous similarities to OMG. Like OMG’s Kanji Mehta, Kanti represents himself in court, giving the proceedings the air of a comedic comedy.
Shiva makes an appearance occasionally to nudge Kanti toward the light, much like Krishna did. The dues ex machina theory is treated seriously in both films. The reason why sex education required to be viewed via a religious lens is not always satisfactorily explained, though. In OMG, Kanji is violent when an earthquake destroys his store. A “act of God” caused the damage, thus Kanji’s insurance claim is denied. The 156-minute OMG 2 has the proper intentions at all times. Its idea is meticulously crafted with the intention of providing a progressive view of Hinduism without offending anyone. But sometimes it comes off as a misguided attempt to utilize religion to promote social change and debunk rumors.
The direction and writing by Amit Rai succeed in other ways. He injects as much intelligence as he can into a polemical drama of this kind while minimizing bombast. Some of Kanti’s claims are supported by religious texts and liberal Hindu traditions. As Indumati, Kanti’s frequently sobbing wife, Geeta Agarwal Sharma provides the lone instance of hysteria. However, Agarwal Sharma steals the show in court when she gracefully counters Kamini’s browbeating. The measured tone works best for Akshay Kumar. His excitement in portraying a wise-cracking god is evident and frequently contagious. As the constantly bewildered judge sitting over a once-in-a-lifetime case, Pavan Malhotra is also a lot of fun. A witty doctor played by Brijendra Kala makes an entertaining cameo appearance. Pankaj Tripathi, on the other hand, always seems to be confined. The emotional sweep required to persuade us that a very religious man has unexpectedly transformed into a super-progressive father is lacking in Kanti’s story.
Rating: 3.5/5
