Exactly a year back, I wrote in an article that Hindi cinema is being taken back by a trend of great performances becoming the only saviour of its various projects. In the last couple of years, I was honestly fed up with writing phrases like ‘performances lift the film’ or ‘the lead acts make it worth watching.’ What was being seriously missed, was a well-written Hindi film in which the writing and direction lead the performances instead of the other way around. In clear words, I was dying to mention ‘this is a well-written and directed Hindi film followed by great performances.”
Thankfully after the tiring gap of a few years,
OH MY GOD 2 allows me to write that phrase for
AN ORIGINAL HINDI FILM saying
“This is a brilliantly written and thoughtfully directed movie having many superlative performances”. The film has been written and directed by
Amit Rai, the man behind the award-winning and widely acclaimed
ROAD TO SANGAM that came way back in 2009. For new reader friends, ROAD TO SANGAM is right there in my
MOVIES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE List at the site and if you have seen it, you would readily agree to the inclusion, particularly living in the present uncertain times of the 21st century, when it is almost impossible to make that kind of film.
CLICK HERE to read the article on
ROAD TO SANGAM at BobbyTalksCinema.
But then the mention of ROAD TO SANGAM would also raise a question about the long gap of almost 15 years between Rai’s only two films as a director. To be fair, that should reveal the magnitude of struggle ‘the outsiders’ have to face in this industry even after making a masterpiece like ROAD TO SANGAM. And then as it is said, luck or destiny plays a much bigger role in these hidden games of the tinsel world.
Sharing another lesser-known fact, Amit Rai in reality made his second film around 2015-16 based on the subject of Sanitary Pads titled I-PAD. And you must feel the shocking surprise as this was 2 years before Akshay Kumar’s much-publicized PADMAN. Being the first Hindi film on the subject, I-PAD was another of Rai’s skilfully written and directed films, tackling such a difficult and controversial subject without any solid backup from a reputed production house. But for strange, unknown reasons, the film couldn’t release in theatres and is still lying in cans to date. Hopefully, it will get released now, post-OMG2 brings that realization to the exhibitors or major OTT platforms, ending Rai’s painfully long struggle of two decades.
For friends interested in reading more about
I-PAD, please
CLICK HERE to go through my detailed article written in 2018.
Coming back to the new release, if you are reading the right books, watching the right films, and discussing them with the right people, then you would know that Cinema is the medium of writers and directors, with the performers being the third pillar of the creation as per the vision of the first two. So, in case a film is purely becoming a hit because of the faces in it, irrespective of the content, then that simply represents and reveals both the cinema and the viewership, as a brutal fact. But unfortunately, that is the truth behind our major hits known to one and all.
OMG2 successfully breaks that pattern, as the biggest name in the film, Akshay Kumar, has a very limited appearance in the narration. The lead here has been superbly played by Pankaj Tripathi as the father fighting for his young son’s pride in the court. However, despite his absence, Akshay seems to be present in every crucial scene just like the divine existence and that’s how writing can spell magic on the screen in cinema.
Revolving around the subject of ‘Sex Education by Parents at Home and Teachers in Schools’, OMG2 can easily be stated as the boldest and bravest film on the subject in Hindi cinema to date with reasons.
It's not that there haven’t been any films on ‘Sex-Education’ before in Hindi cinema. There were. But all those films either exploited the subject to make controversial, titillating sellable projects or comedies using the theme as an escape from Censor board scissors and refusals. The posters of such films openly reveal their intentions behind the making. Many would be knowing that even filmmakers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee had made a light sex-comedy at one point of time in his career that had dialogues by Gulzar. (I mentioned it in detail in my book DID YOU KNOW Vol.1 published around a decade back.)
In recent years, we had more films on the subject in comparison to the last century. But they were all about the “Sex Myths and Issues in Adults” and not about “Sex-related misconceptions in teenagers going through their adolescent age.”
These films/series either talked about fake sex doctors operating in interiors, hesitation in the use of condoms, erectile dysfunction, impotency, infertility, sperm donation, sexual diseases, and more, but these were all issues related to adults and not kids or teenagers. Should mention here that the best and the most realistic among all such recent ventures post the OTT revolution is DR. ARORA created by Imtiaz Ali.
On the other hand, we also witnessed films/series talking about child abuse and the need of teaching the difference between ‘Good Touch and Bad Touch’ to kids at home as well as in schools. Teenagers going through trauma due to sexual abuse by family members, classmates, seniors or even teachers were the basic or sub-plots of a few films and recent web series at the OTT portals.
But despite all the liberty and no censor board, even the OTT platform did not come up with a courageous creation like OMG2 clearly saying things without any holding back or without turning it into an erotica or sex comedy.
As usual, it is the regional language Indian Cinema, which once again scored over the Hindi films in this context, by making BALAK PALAK in Marathi, a decade back in 2013. Based on this important theme of ‘Sex Education in Kids' that is another masterpiece of Indian Cinema included in MOVIES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE List at my site.
That said, BALAK PALAK is again a simple and subtle take on the issue, cautiously made with a vision, restricting itself in terms of boldness and clear references in the dialogues. Here too the brave filmmakers use a comic tone to say the important things as required.
CLICK HERE to read the article on
BALAK PALAK at BobbyTalksCinema.com
So, then what’s the superior difference here in OMG2?
The difference lies in the brave and naked approach, the film talks about its core subject like never before. Explaining it further, it talks about Masturbation as Masturbation without giving it any other name or using any metaphor. It talks about ‘the size of male organ’ as ‘the size of male organ’ without giving it any other title. It talks about “Kaam Sutra” as “Kaam Sutra” rightly quoting it as the most popular, followed, and best-selling Indian scripture all over the world.
The writing in OMG2 does not present these things in any shy manner with eyes looking downward. The protagonists say these things straight looking into the eyes of their fellow performers including an honorable judge. And this all happens inside an Indian court without any kind of offense or disrespect, quoting the laws and our ancient scriptures. Moreover, all these arguments are made by confronting a female lawyer in the court, again without falling into the trap of getting cheap or purposefully distasteful.
Giving another reason for OMG2 being far ahead of any other Hindi film on a similar subject in the past.
The film raises a valid question about ‘the lack of Sex Education in our schools’, not taught in the desired manner, even in the senior secondary classes. The chapters are right there in the books starting from higher secondary (with common subjects for all), but they are either skipped or just taught quickly in one or two classes avoiding the so-called embarrassment by the so-called trained teachers (as indicated in the film). This issue also points towards the reality of our schools having a big majority of female teachers, who weirdly find it awkward to teach this life-transforming subject to their young kids.
As a result, those chapters become a matter of fun for the students both in coeducation and schools specifically enrolling only boys and girls. And it is this fun that leads to several misconceptions, silly games, taunts, and undisclosed personal traumas among the youngsters, who never get the right information for years falling into the trap of fake hakeems, greedy doctors, and irresponsible chemists.
Continuing with the bluntness, as the film is about a young school boy committing a mistake on the school premises, let me reveal the two major and biggest questions about sex in the mind of a 14-16-year-old boy. These are two common questions thought of by every single boy experiencing normal growth. And they are:
One - Is Masturbating a Sin?...... and…. Will it hurt my health if I regularly masturbate? (The most popular myth is that it affects the eye-sight?)
Two – Does the size of the male organ matter?....... Will I be rejected by the girls because of a smaller size?..... What do I need to do about that?
To be honest, one will be a hypocrite if he says that I never had those questions in mind at that time of age or never had such confusions and queries disturbing the daily routine. We all had, but there was no one to clear them with a proper explanation. And in case there was a concerned, guiding teacher in your school or home, then you were surely blessed and lucky. So, the question arises, that who is supposed to clear these doubts in the minds of youngsters? Who is supposed to give them the right information and direction at such a tender age?
Only two people can – either parents at home or teachers in school? Any other person can easily misguide and take advantage of innocent souls, as questioned and shown in the film, exceptionally penned by Amit Rai. And this was never displayed with such guts, straightforwardness, and eye-opener dialogues using the exact words and phrases in any Hindi film ever before.
That is the reason I prefer to call OMG2 the boldest, bravest, and most intelligently written film on Sex Education in Hindi cinema to date deserving wide appreciation.
For friends willing to know more about the film, it never gives you any chance to look at your phone beginning with a soothing devotional song. The film straight away comes to the point without any unnecessary introductions and once the court case commences, it repeatedly makes you smile, laugh, and think, bringing you to the edge of your seat too at some shocking disclosures.
But before that, there is a scene wherein the young traumatized boy asks everyone in front of him to hit him if they please. That moment makes you go numb simply relating it to your days of adolescence in school.
Besides a sequence of questions asked from a sex worker in court and the gesture of Pankaj Tripathi in her respect, forces you to look for the name of the writer of the film with immense gratitude and respect – who is Amit Rai the director himself.
Adding to the merits, the film is about a male boy and thus entirely revolves around his mental stress and humiliation faced in society. But the issues and confusions disturbing him are also there in the young girls. Strangely, talking about masturbation in the context of a girl is an even bigger or rather a giant explosive subject to talk about in our part of the world (in particular). Rai does not ignore that and rightly mentions the statistics of the same in a specific dialogue of the film clearly showing his understanding and thorough research of the subject.
Related to the writing, the entire team behind OMG2 deserves equal praise for conceptualizing the changes in its script and presentation, post a struggle with censors. As you must have read in the news, the film got stuck in censors for a short time and they asked for certain changes. The key one being the character of Akshay to be changed from playing Lord Shiva to a messenger of God sent on earth for helping his devotee. The writer-director and his team made those changes without hampering the flow and it's nothing short of an achievement that as a viewer one never finds any jerk, jump, or unexplained development on the screen related to the incarnation of GOD or his messenger on planet earth.
The third pillar of OMG2 remains the performances along with the cinematography, background score and art direction which truly complement the writing making a solid collective impact. The name Pankaj Tripathi is now synonymous with sincerity, diversity, and consistency in the acting world and one can choose any film on the OTT portals, featuring him, ensuring at least a decent watch. Here, he excels both through his mannerisms and language right from the first scene to the last, and is a treat to watch. The film simply belongs to Tripathi.
Yami Gautam makes you feel like punching her in the face as the opponent lawyer and that is a big compliment for an actor playing a negative kind of role in any film. She has come a long way reaching OMG2 and gives probably her best performance to date along with looking pretty as usual.
Pawan Malhotra, the senior most name in the cast is one of the most consistent veterans in the world of acting, who plays the judge in a different subtle and sweet manner that can easily be stated as adorable. He never takes the loud route of comic judges as seen in many of the recent courtroom dramas, which is a big relief, maintaining the novelty.
Proving all the assumptions wrong, Akshay Kumar appears pleasant on screen as a divine messenger delivering a likable act. Though he remains Akshay (with that comic smile), yet doesn’t go overboard keeping a low profile in the film which helps in leaving an impact. His short and timely emergence at the right moments brings applause in the theatre, specifically at the end. I just loved the insertion of Nandi, following him everywhere he goes and that was a sheer gem of a thought put in by Rai.
Addressing the opposers, the depiction of Lord Shiva in the film creates such an influence over the viewers, that many effortlessly start singing ‘Har Har Mahadev’ along with the catchy track sitting in the theatre. In other words, OMG2 will in turn increase the worshippers and followers of Lord Shiva instead of causing any harm or disrespect.
The supporting cast excels in their short roles, but one must mention the young Aarush Varma playing the victim, who simply wins hearts as the film progresses further. He brings tears to your eyes more than once through his praiseworthy act in the film.
For the last few years, I so wished to write about a Hindi film that doesn’t have routine unwanted, or forced sequences and which inspires you to write at length, reaching out to youngsters. Amit Rai’s OMG2 is that one Hindi film coming after a long gap pointing towards one of the most important aspects of our Indian society “The questionable mode of our education and its shortcomings”.
To sum up this exemplary work, OMG2 offers a very fine and well-written amalgamation of social (family and relationships), educational (school, teachers, and management), judicial (law and courtroom), mythological (The God), historical (our ancient scriptures), spiritual (feel of divine existence) and emotional elements (traumas of the young) along with a controlled and responsible comic tone. Now just imagine incorporating all these elements together in a film talking about ‘Sex-Education’ without over-stressing, being vulgar, or losing the path. This should easily make you realize the kind of textbook material OMG2 provides in terms of script writing and dialogues.
At one moment the film and its subject did make me feel, Why the reference to Mahakal, Lord Shiva? The film could have easily been made without that reference in an equally impactful manner. Maybe the explanation for that got lost in the several cuts and changes asked by the censor board.
But I soon got the answer by watching the film itself, realizing the fact that which deity/messenger would have been better than Mahakaal – Lord Shiva, who is represented and worshipped for centuries in our country through “Shivling”. Sharing my personal story, when I first learned about the facts about Shivling in my early college days, then I was just stunned and remained in that state for days, simply bowing down to the amazingly deep symbolism and understanding of human existence & evolution taught in our ancient Indian scriptures and traditions. Hopefully, this film will inspire many youngsters to study more about the subject and its deep relevance.
Reaching the conclusion of this long write-up (revolting against the present world of 2-3 minute reads), OMG2 also made me aware of the ‘new world’ we are living in, the new era run through social networks and countless, mindless postings we keep on reading every day.
This new world has made us incapable of watching, grasping, and appreciating cinema made in a realistic, dark, and hard-hitting tone pointing towards the crucial limitations of our society. That is the reason even a burning subject like ‘Sex-Education’ has to be presented with a sugar coating of comedy by blessed writer-directors like Amit Rai, who otherwise are capable enough to make films that can brutally shake us showcasing the harsh social reality.
And that is the doubt I have for the causal set of an audience watching the film as another routine new release just for their weekly entertainment and nothing else. That is the fear I have about the humour taking over the important message of OMG2. In clear words, there is a big possibility that a section of viewers remains stuck on the Godly reference in the film loudly chanting ‘Har Har Mahadev” and another remains stuck in the comedy, coming out of the theaters laughing and thoroughly entertained.
Both these kinds of audiences are not going to initiate a talk in their homes with their young kids about ‘sex education’ to clear their misconceptions. And that’s how even after receiving praises and enjoying success at the box office the film will lose in terms of making any kind of constructive contribution to the society.
So, if possible don’t be a part of any such irresponsible audience. Watch the film in theaters, take the young ones along, get entertained, and enjoy those smiles and laughs but take its basic thought home initiating a frank and descriptive dialogue with the young kids including girls. There is no better teaching in the world, than the one we can easily provide our kids at home. The schools and teachers share that responsibility too, but it’s the parents who are and have to be the first teachers of a child, deeply influencing his or her first 15 years of growth. So please do try to be that kind of parent and a guiding elder.
Lastly, it is not only ironic but quite sad that our Censor Boards have given an ‘Adults Only’ certificate to the film, operating in a frightful state post their last controversy of ‘Aadipurush’. A film made on ‘sex education’ to guide and enlighten teenagers, being given an A certificate is nothing less than a sad tragedy in the present digital world of the new millennium. Hopefully, the board will realize the mistake, making the rectification, or maybe the higher authorities can intervene by asking for the required changes. Because if the authorities can make a film exempt from taxes, then they can surely ask for those changes in its certification too considering its subject and execution, not having a single shot of obscenity.
Adding another important reference, while the trend of sequels has almost ruined our cinema (and theirs too) - OH MY GOD 2 turns out to be one of the best sequels, and that too bringing forward a subject that was always like burning coal for all the renowned filmmakers of the past and the present.
Following the similar format of part one, with a deity coming for the rescue of his committed devotee, I would love to call OH MY GOD 2 as the new age YEHI HAI ZINDAGI of Hindi Cinema. And YEHI HAI ZINDAGI is one of my most loved films (included in MOVIES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE list), which taught me a lot about life in my second decade of existence.
CLICK HERE to read the article on
YEHI HI ZINDAGI at BobbyTalksCinema.com
In the end, reminding you once again, do watch OMG2 in the theaters, get entertained, and have a great time, but do remember to take the essential lesson home chanting HAR HAR MAHADEV.
The very next day of watching this film should be spent with your young ones at home having a good dialogue and discussion on the so-called ‘taboo’ subject. That is the way you will contribute both in a social revolution as well as in the much awaited change required in our Hindi cinema initiated by Amit Rai.
Rating: Movies To See Before You Die (To be seen at the earliest)
Note: It’s the first time that a writer-director of Hindi cinema makes three films and all three projects are worthy of being rated as Movies To See Before You Die.
“Kudos to Amit Rai & his team for this rare achievement.”
