OMG 2 – Oh My God! 2

About the film

OMG 2 is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film about sex education in India, written and directed by Amit Rai. It is a spiritual sequel to OMG – Oh My God! (2012), and stars Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi, and Yami Gautam.

The film was theatrically released on 11 August 2023 to positive reviews from critics. It grossed ₹221.08 crore (US$23 million) worldwide. At the 69th Filmfare Awards, the film received nine nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Critics) (Tripathi) and Best Supporting Actress (Gautam), and won the award for Best Story.

Plot

Kanti Sharan Mudgal, a loyal devotee of Lord Shiva, owns a shop outside the city's prominent Mahakaal temple. One day, he is called to the hospital and told that his son Vivek has been up all night masturbating continuously until he fainted. Vivek's friend explains that Vivek was bullied about the size of his penis and due to this, he became insecure. Vivek was told that masturbating will make it bigger.

Atal Nath Maheshwari, the chairman of the school Vivek studies in, tells Kanti about a recent video showing Vivek masturbating in the school restroom. As this is affecting the school's image, Vivek is expelled from the school and branded a sexual deviant. Kanti's friend, Pandey Ji, a rich priest at the temple, advises him to leave town as the situation is tarnishing their religious image. The video reaches Kanti's wife and daughter and their entire neighbourhood. They begin to be shamed and relentlessly mocked by society. Devastated, Kanti prays to Lord Shiva for help and Lord Shiva indeed arrives in the form of a messenger.

After a police complaint against Vivek for trying to confront his bully, The One meets Vivek and Kanti at the police station, saying he's there to lodge a complaint of his missing bag, where he comforts Vivek. Vivek tries to commit suicide twice but is saved by The One. He meets Kanti as they're about to leave town, and tells him that his son did nothing wrong, explaining that not everything done in privacy is wrong or obscene, but that he went too far regardless. It is the school's fault for reinforcing the stigma around sex, and failing to provide proper sex education. He advises Kanti to file a case against the school and the medical practitioners.

Production

The film was initially rumoured to be in making in January 2021 with Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal returning as leads post the first part, but Rawal denied the reports. In June 2021, the sequel to OMG was finally confirmed with a new storyline starring Kumar. Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam were roped in as new additions that same month, while Arun Govil joined the cast in November 2021 as the school chairman.

Tripathi began the first schedule of the film on 2 September 2021 in Mumbai. Kumar joined the sets in second schedule on 23 October 2021. The third schedule of the film commenced in December 2021.

Music

The background music of the film is composed by Mangesh Dhakde, while the soundtrack is composed by Vikram Montrose, Hansraj Raghuwanshi, Djstrings, Pranaay, Sandesh Shandilya and Kashh. The lyrics are written by Kabeer Shukla, Hansraj Raghuwanshi, Djstrings, Shekhar Astitwa, Ginny Diwan, Kashh and Sandesh Shandilya.

The first single titled "Oonchi Oonchi Waadi" was released on 18 July 2023. The second single titled "Har Har Mahadev" was released on 27 July 2023.

Release

The Central Board of Film Certification advised 20 cuts in the film's screenplay and an (A) (Adults Only) certificate, as they deemed the film's subject matter, which deals with sex education in schools, along with God and religion, to be controversial and could possibly hurt the sentiments of the audience. It was also suggested that Kumar's character in the film, which was initially supposed to be that of Lord Shiva, to be changed to that of a "Messenger of God". The makers felt that this would spoil the essence of the film and limit its appeal and insisted on receiving an (U/A) (Unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of twelve) certificate. The film was eventually passed by the Censor Board with an (A) (Adults Only) certificate with no cuts but with 25 modifications. The film was theatrically released on 11 August 2023.

The film was premiered on Netflix from 7 October 2023.

Reception

OMG 2 received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The film received positive reviews from audiences.

A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "On the whole OMG 2 is a bold, powerful, progressive, and sensitively handled film with powerful performances as its USP." Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "OMG 2 shows you how a film can be entertaining, socially relevant and informative. You don’t need to leave your brain behind to have a good laugh. Take your family along to watch this interesting blend of social commentary and humour." Tushar Joshi of India Today rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "Overall, 'OMG 2' is a film that has the right mix of everything. In short, it succeeds in being an entertainer with a valid message. Akshay Kumar's fans will be in for a huge treat where the actor delivers one of his career-best performances."

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