August 15, 2023
by Carla Hay
“OMG 2”
Directed by Amit Rai
Hindi with subtitles
Culture Representation: Taking place in Mahakaal, India, the comedy/drama film “OMG 2” has an all-Indian cast of characters representing the working-class and middle-class.
Culture Clash: After his teenage son gets in trouble for masturbating in a bathroom stall at his school, his father sues the school district to teach sex education in the school.
Culture Audience: “OMG 2” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and comedy/dramas that tackle sensitive social issues.
“OMG 2” stumbles a bit in the last third of the movie with a very clumsily staged plot development. However, this memorable drama has a timely message about sex education in schools that shows both sides of the issue in a compelling courtroom setting.
Written and directed by Amit Rai, “OMG 2” takes place in Mahakaal, India. It takes a while before movie gets to the trial that is at the heart of the story. Before then, viewers see what caused this legal dispute.
Vivek (played by Aarush Varma) is a teenager in high school who is curious about sex. Hs current worry is that his penis is too small. He’s so gullible that he gets scammed into buying pills that he is told will make his penis larger.
One day, Vivek ends up going in a bathroom stall at the school to see if his penis has gotten larger. He ends up masturbating in the stall. Vivek is horrified to learn that someone recorded a video of him masturbating, and the video has gone viral. Vivek goes on a downward spiral.
Through a series of events, Vivek’s religious father Kanti Sharan Mudgal (played by Pankaj Tripathi) blames the school for not giving enough counseling or protection for Vivek for this violation of privacy and for not teaching sex education in the school. Vivek ends up suing the school district to have sex education classes in the school.
Akshay Kumar has a very awkward-looking role in the movie as Lord Shiva’s messenger, in what are supposed to be scenes that are very comedic or overly sentimental. This role seems forced, just so Kumar could be in the movie. Despite some flaws in the story, the best part of “OMG 2” when it shows the trial, which has some amusing scenes when Kanti clashes with defense attorney Kamini Mahesh (played by Yami Gautam Dhar), who is feisty about her politically conservative opinions. This trial doesn’t just put the school district up for judgment but also society’s attitudes about teaching teenagers about sex.
Viacom18 Studios released “OMG 2” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on August 11, 2023.