OMG 2 movie review: Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi’s laugh-out-loud film sneaks in a timely message – The Indian Express
Within the 2012 OMG, Paresh Rawal performs a snarky ‘naastik (atheist)’ with such verve that poor Krishna Vasudev Yadav from Gokul is compelled to return right down to the earth to show the previous the error of his methods. In so doing, the movie disses caste and creed, whereas taking a number of digs at ‘paakhandis’ throughout all religions who prey upon the gullible: a most important character talks of, gulp, Gita, Bible and Quran in the identical breath. In different phrases, OMG, fronted by Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal, bravely despatched up non secular hypocrisies throughout the board, and all of us laughed our heads off at the same time as the nice sceptic Kanji Lal Mehta found faith.
I went into OMG 2 with an excessive amount of trepidation. That is 2023, and a distinct India. With a lot polarisation round us, would a movie be capable to have a look at faith, and spiritual figures with out getting all didactic and preachy, and, sure, majoritarian? The sequel does the sensible factor by side-stepping the difficult problem of variety by tilting it in direction of such a startlingly progressive, liberal point-of-view that we neglect, virtually, the absence of different faiths. And comes up with a crackling movie which questions the shortage of religion ignorant adults repose (or moderately, don’t) in our younger folks as they discover the mysteries of their our bodies with pure curiosity and frankness: it’s not ‘gandaa kaam’ or one thing flawed, and it isn’t actually isn’t something to be ashamed of.
It additionally makes a sensible alternative of constructing its lead character Kanti Sharan Mudgal already a agency Shiva bhakt, and Pankaj Tripathi slips into that position with practised ease. Kanti’s perception is examined to the hilt as his adolescent son is bullied and harassed by his school-mates and let down by his academics for having indulged in ‘vulgar acts’. The court-room, presided over by Choose Purushottam Nagar (Malhotra, hiding his smiles by the proceedings) turns into Kanti’s battle-field as he defends his son, with combative girl lawyer Kamini Maheshwari (Yami Gautam, studying her classes nicely) showing for the accused, the college principal, and various snake oil dispensers and charlatans.
And each time Kanti Sharan falters, Bhole Nath’s ‘doot’ aka messenger (standing in for the lord himself , however we aren’t fooled, are we?) seems in all types of quirky guises, as a mendicant with dreadlocks, as a vibrant harlequin zooming round in a sports activities automobile, and so forth: it helps, in fact, that it’s Shiva, the best, zaniest god within the Hindu pantheon. And this time round, Akshay has much more enjoyable: sure, he’s enjoying antaryami, the all-knowing, however with the sort of lightness he can show when he isn’t taking himself severely. The Nandi bull, Bhole Nath’s official ‘vaahan’ showing each time he does, is a really humorous, apt contact. It’s been some time since I loved an Akshay Kumar efficiency as a lot as this one.
And I haven’t been taken without warning as a lot as I used to be in OMG 2, in one of the simplest ways attainable. It took me a while to get used to the truth that this was a movie which was taking its mission – speaking up the very important significance of intercourse training amongst school-going kids, and much more importantly, taking the disgrace away from such discussions — so severely that it might get into severely explanatory mode, and keep it up. It additionally chooses to go all out by way of the language used, by no means pulling punches, and naming issues as they’re, even whether it is considerably on the nostril: the dialogue writers have clearly had a blast, making us chuckle regardless of a couple of clunky sideswipes at Macaulay’s ‘shiksha pranali’, whereas emphasising the goodness of ‘sanatan dharm’. The tempo is uneven, although, and a few components slacken; and using ‘shuddh’ Hindi is intelligent: it helps preserve issues opaque when you may go over the heads of individuals initially earlier than shocked-yet-gleeful understanding hits. OMG 2 additionally lunges for melodramatic patches and a few ‘naach-gaana’, together with an all-too transient ‘taandav’.
However the movie by no means wavers in its intent, sneaking in taboo subjects in its laugh-out-loud comedian tone, and for that it ropes within the gods, which is a superb ploy: you get them in your facet, you will get away with something, even issues that will ordinarily be deemed ‘ashleel’ (vulgar). For as soon as, I didn’t thoughts being lectured at; in reality I loved those that the very earnest and really decided Kanti Sharan Mudgal delivers himself of with the very straight face that Pankaj Tripathi , as soon as he hits his stride: such phrases as ‘hasth maithun’, ‘ling’, ‘yoni’, ‘naisargik kriya’, all come tripping off his very deft tongue – it helps too that Tripathi is a grasp of supply — all to wonderful objective.
A mainstream Hindi movie taking on cudgels on behalf of the proponents of catching ‘em younger? Talking straight and true? Mentioning the wonders of the Kamasutra? Opening up syllabuses to incorporate intercourse training? Sure, sure, and sure. Omg.
Commercial
OMG 2
Solid: Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi, Pavan Malhotra, Yami Gautam, Govind Namdeo, Brijendra Kala
Director: Amit Rai
Score: 3.5/5
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