Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from ‘OMG 2.’
After a long history of sequels that fail to surpass the legacy of originals, Pankaj Tripathi, Akshay Kumar, and Yami Gautam starrer OMG 2 is among the exceptions. The film highlights the importance of sex education while actively calling out misinformation that exists because of the lack of a comprehensive curriculum in schools.
The film revolves around Kanti Sharan Mudgal, a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, whose son gets suspended from school after a video of him masturbating, filmed without his consent, is leaked online. Kanti later realises his son became a victim of misinformation after some bullies convinced him that the size of his penis is small and there is some inherent problem with him. His son then tries to consult his school teacher to no avail and consults pseudo-experts who illegally mislead him into purchasing medicines that they claim would increase the size of his appendage. Eventually, he wounds up overdosing on Viagra pills and lands in a hospital, consumed with guilt and embarrassment.
Akshay Kumar, who appears as a messenger of God, enlightens Kanti that his son is at no fault and it is the society that is to be blamed for teaching no better. Kanti then decides to sue every adult responsible for his son’s plight, including the school and himself.
What follows then is a courtroom drama where Kanti takes up the case of his son with Sanjana Tripathi, played by Yami Gautam, in the opposition defending the school and the others. The film has its heart in the right place as it battles the stigmatisation of sex in society and advocates the NEED for sex education in the school curriculum.
In a society where tender displays of affection get labelled obscene and vulgar, the film boldly tries to take up the topic through ancient texts, like Kamasutra and Panchatantra, while posing a social commentary on the gradual devolution of sex into a social taboo in a Nation whose writings on the subject have been celebrated across the world.
The silence around sex manifests unawareness that creates myths and misleading information as individuals resort to unauthentic substitutes like pornography or consult self-proclaimed sexperts for reliable information on sex. This is also dangerous and can lead to unhealthy and, even, violent sexual practices. When Biology teachers awkwardly rush through the lesson on the reproductive system while deliberately avoiding silent giggles or dismissing genuine doubts, questions about safe sex practices, the male and female anatomy, and STDs remain unanswered, and misinformation is propagated. It is stories like OMG 2 that take a vital step towards the normalisation of sex in a country where it is viewed as something unnatural and immoral.
Kanti’s son’s belief that he can grow his penis size is just one common misconception in the vast ocean of misinformation casually floating around in our society. For instance, there are many pointless myths about vaginas people still believe in. Like, the vagina loosens with an active sex life, or tampons can get lost in the vagina, among others.
The film handles the subject with the utmost sensitivity. However, there are times when the film becomes preachy and the struggle to overcome the status of sex as a social taboo is taken for granted. It appeared almost convenient in the concluding moments of the film that society learned its lesson and people are up for an open discussion about sex, with generalised admissions, like ‘let’s talk about periods’ or ‘I also masturbate’. The climax felt a bit hurried in that sense. The film desired to start an important conversation but could not completely acknowledge the layers and nuances surrounding a healthy and open conversation around sex.
Nonetheless, it serves as a great starting point. It subtly weaves satire and holds up a mirror to society, prompting us to introspect while exposing our hypocrisies without shying away from speaking the words, which are otherwise deemed ‘vulgar.’ Having said that, there’s still a long way to go. The controversies around the film, multiple cuts, and the fact that it received an ‘A’ certificate from the censor board itself proclaims why we need to do more and better.