The first OMG was a breath of fresh air. It introduced ideas that were unheard of for Bollywood and it managed to do so without being preachy. And that’s a massive credit to the writers and the director of the film. So, when OMG 2 was announced, one had certain expectations, despite the risk of the new film pandering to the popular political sentiment in the country today. While OMG 2 steers clear of hate-filled propaganda, the writing can only be described as lazy. Here’s our review of Pankaj Tripathi and Akshay Kumar’s latest film, OMG 2, directed by Amit Rai.

The basis of this film is something that needs to be discussed more in this country–sex education. When Kanti Sharan Mudgal’s teenage son, Vivek, is bullied in the boys’ washroom at school for the size of his penis, he goes down the path of online misinformation and starts believing that the size of his organ will single-handedly make or break his life. After being misguided by several people, Vivek thinks excessive masturbation will increase the size of his penis. When he is secretly recorded masturbating in the school washroom, the video goes viral in their small town and he is expelled from school. When Vivek is on the brink of being suicidal, in pops Akshay Kumar as literal divine intervention. He makes Kanti (Pankaj Tripathi) realise that his son is not in the wrong and he should sue the school, the chemist who sold a shady version of Viagra to a minor, and every other person involved in defaming his son. So, in true OMG style, Kanti includes his name as well in the list of those responsible for damaging Vivek’s mental health and embarks on a legal battle against the rich and powerful.

Too preachy to be thrilling

In the first OMG, the courtroom drama was riveting because it was unpredictable. One would always be left wondering what Kanji Lal Mehta’s next argument would be against god. In OMG 2, however, the courtroom scenes are not half as thrilling. The arguments of the prosecution lawyer, Kamini Maheshwari (Yami Gautam), are repetitive and flaccid (pun fully intended). So, there is no element of thrill when Kanti Sharan Mudgal takes them down. You will be reminded of the familiar trope of ‘common man vs those in power’, but the good guy needed a worthy adversary in this film to really make an impact.

As the story progresses, OMG 2 becomes more and more preachy but it still manages to have its entertaining moments. You will laugh, and you will feel for the characters, but you won’t come out of the theatre shook, like you probably did after OMG.

Pankaj Tripathi, as always, is a star

Despite the writing that lets down a good premise, Pankaj Tripathi, as always, manages to light up the screen. Kanti Sharan Mudgal’s equation with his family, and his struggle with understanding sex education as a pious man from a small town, could not have been portrayed better by any other actor in this generation.

Yami Gautam is convincing as a ruthless lawyer who thinks nothing of terrorising children in court. The character of Kamini is smooth and evil and is not a jarring presence on the screen. However, this is one character that suffered because of the writing and Yami Gautam just did not have enough material to be able to do anything with Kamini.

Akshay Kumar was entirely pointless in OMG 2. Unlike Kanji, Kanti could have arrived at every conclusion entirely on his own and through research. This time, Akshay Kumar was reduced to a few funny one-liners and a little bit of song and dance. Perhaps to make his presence seem relevant, at two separate points in the film, he is shown saving Vivek and Kanti from certain death.

OMG 2 is not a bad film, it’s just nowhere close to the first OMG. The film is out now in theatres.

Can you watch OMG 2 with family? If your family is queasy about sex education, maybe you should. It might provoke an important conversation. But if your family is looking for riveting entertainment, look elsewhere.

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