OMG 2 Review: A Captivating Drama with an Impactful Message!

Fighting off several controversies and accounting for about twenty one changes suggested by the Censor Board of India, Akshay Kumar’s OMG 2 finally paves its way to the cinema halls. It is surprisingly welcomed warmly with a decent box office opening which is highly anticipated for this kind of movie that boldly addresses societal problems. Surely, they had to undergo several controversies and many major scenes were cut short, with the majority being replaced or repainted to comply with Indian standards.

Marking the first collaboration between Director Amit Rai and lead actors Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi, OMG 2 opens with Kanti Sharan Mudgal (Pankaj Tripathi), a devoted worshipper of Lord Shiva who has dedicated his entire life to the deity. The story takes a dramatic turn when Kanti’s son, Vivek, is admitted to the hospital due to excessive masturbation, which results in his fainting at a friend’s house. Alarmed by his behavior, his friend rushes him to the hospital and notifies Vivek’s parents. This revelation is indeed distressing for Kanti, but as events unfold, they bring forth more tension and problems.

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Standing up with the directorial point of view, we could see the effect of the first feature film by Amit Rai’s Road to Sangam. The character situation added layers to the psychological worldview and the goals, actions taken by the character. The best example for this is the character of Kanti Sharan Mudgal, the lead character for the film. He is seen to be a conservative and narrow-minded personality as the film opens, but as the events unfold, we see drastic changes and compelling layers upon his worldview. At the end, he turns to be a liberative personality who stands by his morals.

Same with his opposition lawyer, played by Yami Gautam, is seen more to be money-minded and professional. Soon, she goes on to be personally invested in the case. These changes make the story relatable and get the audience mentally and physically invested in the movie. Although no changes are seen in the supporting role for Akshay Kumar, the well-diversified layered character didn’t really opt for changes. In contrast, he opted for the role of a guide for the protagonist of the story.

All three acts of the film were tightly packed, giving it a mixed-genre feel, but it was largely occupied by the comic courtroom drama. The third act winds up tightly, giving us a similar feel to the movie Aligarh.

Looking at the acting, we could hardly underestimate the performance by Pankaj Tripathi. He surely hasn’t disappointed us all the way through. Being a lead, he featured on the screen for the maximum time period, and his expressions were clearer. He delivered them with subtle proficiency and perfection. Moving to the supporting cast, we see Akshay Kumar back in form as we get the impressions of his roles in previous movies like OMG 1, Bhagam Bhag, and his explicit comedies in the 2000s and 2010s. Alongside them, the cast is filled with talented actors like Yami Gautam, Arun Govil, and more, and the performances were on-point.

Every film has its soul in the technical aspects, and what happens behind the camera largely reflects how the story will be told, as it does in this film. The wide-angle shots for every scene did fail to create the sense of mental intensity and didn’t effectively portray the characters’ mental conditions through the camera angles, as is typically done in movies to enhance the cinematic experience.

However, these wide-angle shots simultaneously impacted the scenic beauty for the dialogue deliveries. They made it easy for the audience to connect emotionally with each word said by the actor. The film did have a hefty number of montages and drastic jump and follow cuts, but it did feel irresistible when you have a highly surveilled movie. This also made its way to numerous montages which, for a feel of the cinema, did feel cliché but still worked for the storyline. Lighting for the movie can be upheld as the majority of the movie was shot in natural lighting and surprisingly, it still worked wonders.

OMG 2 stands out with a great message and surely is an explicit cinematic experience. And even after massive surveillance, this film stands apart and is worth watching.

‘OMG 2’ Rating – 3.5/5

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