Stigmatic Views, Pragmatic Approach

OMG2 : Movie Review

India is the most populous country in the world (142.86 crore in 2023, United Nations Population Fund data) housing one-sixth of the world’s population. Kama Sutra which originates from our very own ancient culture is still used as a master guide by psychologists across the globe for deeper understanding of intricacies & enigma.

Ironically, sex & related discussions are considered taboo in even the most elite sections of our society. While biology as a subject in school curriculum does cover reproductive process as a science, a detailed psychological guidance is not that commonly available. It’s the NGOs, civil societies and counsellors who have been doing lot of work in spreading awareness on the topic lately.

OMG 2 tries to address the same through a middle-class family ’s perspective. Kanti Sharan Mudgal (Pankaj Tripathi), hailing from a religious tier 2 city in India is an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, leading a simple life. All he lives for is his strong faith in the Almighty and his family (wife Indumati and 2 children Vivek & Damayanti). One day, trouble enters paradise after Vivek is taken to task by school authorities for an allegedly immoral conduct. While the Mudgal family is in process of clearing up the mess, things worsen and start falling apart at rapid pace. That’s when Kanti decides to take on his opponents one on one legally with his inner faith rock solid as ever. 

Within the first 10-15 minutes itself, the plot jumps to the principal topic and continues to progress steadily. The use of cinematic liberty and satire is purely to keep up the entertainment value while addressing a serious social issue. Unlike the first part, OMG 2 doesn’t divulge into religious dogma, but does use interesting references from sacred texts to give ancient examples of broader mindsets, with no offence.

All the writers Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, Amit Rai, Kabir Sadanand and Sameer Gautam Singh have taken utmost care to ensure the narrative doesn’t become insensitive or even remotely crass. Dialogues by  Rajveer Ahuja with sweet blend of Malvi & Devnagri, avoiding expletives is very pleasing to the ears. Cinematography by Amalendu Chaudhary and Art direction by Apurva Bhagat brilliantly encapsulating the spirit of a religious tourist city and the festivities of Mahakaleshwar are indeed a visual treat. Music by Mangesh Dhakde is completely in sync with the mood of the film. The opening song by folk singer Hanraj Raghuvanshi is a master stroke.

Every actor does complete justice to their respective roles. Pankaj Tripathi as the protagonist showcases all the navrasaas of his ‘adbhut – abhinay’  through the film, and yet manages to be restrained, pleasant and emphatic. You laugh when he smiles, you are bound to get moist eyed when he is down, that’s the powerful connect he establishes with you. Yami Gautam’s growth as an actor is incredible and she is bloody brilliant in all the court scenes. Senior actors Arun Govil, Govind Namdeo, Pavan Malhotra are all impressive. Aarush Sharma as Vivek, the vulnerable teenager shows potential. Akshay Kumar with his strong screen presence is immensely endearing  and doesn’t force himself onto the screen.

To summarize, OMG 2 is a subtle yet bolder attempt than its prequel. The advancement in technology and its percolation across the country, esp. in the last decade has been phenomenal. But on the other hand, access to easy information without enough maturity, guidance may prove responsible to set wrong notions about sex & related topics among youngsters. With a single arrow OMG2 tries to target a plethora of  connected issues with a call for open discussions. Kudos to director Amit Rai and his team for their sincere efforts in this direction.

In a nutshell, the film a must watch for adolescent teens, their parents and teachers for its edutaining content. The film being restricted to 18+ needs a re-think as it will hamper the out-reach to the right audience, especially  when co-releasing with a massy U rated & nostalgic film, Gadar 2.

Rating : ****

BREAKING BARS’

Movie Review: Rocky aur Rani ki Prem Kahani

India, a land of varied cultures, traditions and lifestyles has been a great example of unity in diversity across the world. While one may say that progressive globalization over the years is largely instrumental in bringing us closer from practical perspective, the basic physics definition of ‘opposites attract’ has equally been a driving factor. Film makers and novel writers have time and again woven human emotions onto the above aspects to bring out interesting, entertaining, and realistic stories.

Rocky and Rani ki Prem Kahani begins with a similar premise. Rocky Randhawa (played by Ranveer Singh) hailing from a hardcore West Delhi ‘Sweets Baron’ family, bumps into Rani Chatterjee (Alia Bhatt), a TV anchor from an Elite Bengali household in South Delhi. Though their initial meeting is related to a past family connection, the stark contrast between both personalities draws them towards each other. They reach up to a point where it becomes essential to involve their respective families before taking their relationship to the next level.

Hereon the film progresses seamlessly through ‘broader issues’ from an overall societal perspective, not restricting only to people from different backgrounds. The narrative does move steadily, takes its time in establishing the connect effectively and transitions well towards the end.

Visually, the art design (Sharmishta Roy & team), costumes (Eka Lakhani) and cinematography (Manush Nandan), VFX (FutureWorks, Media) are all top notch. There is a slight reminiscence of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grandeur at a few places.

Pritam’s songs topped up by Amitabh Bhattarcharya’s lyrics are quite soulful. Of all, Jhumka and Dhindora Baaje stand out both as melodies and from a picturization point of view.

Screenplay and dialogues by Shashank Khaitan and Ishita Moitra are the crux of the film. While the story takes progressive yet small steps in addressing casual othering / shaming as part of surroundings, it doesn’t endorse cancel culture either. This is taken care of even in the situational comic scenes. Having said that the film isn’t completely devoid of pretentiousness & cliche at few instances. The use of pop culture references from Hindi cinema of 60s to 90s are quite endearing.

Performance wise, Ranveer Singh is his usual self – loud, entertaining & radiating exuberance thereby merging his reel & real self. Alia Bhatt brings in the required depth & mindfulness to the screen and excels in her part.  Tota Roy Chowdhary, Churni Ganguli and Aamir Bashir perform well in their respective roles. Kshiti Jog, Anjali Anand and Namit Das provide adequate support.

Veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan have a strong screen presence but probably deserved better characterization. Even the legendary Dharam ji’s role probably doesn’t do enough justice to his persona & iconic stature. Ideally, director Karan Johar should have personally worked on this aspect.

On the whole, Rocky & Rani Ki Prem Kahaani is a brave attempt to convey the necessity of breaking barriers & being non-judgmental for an equanimous society to evolve amidst the chaos we live in.

Can easily be called one of the better & socially relevant films to be churned out from Karan Johar’s kitty.

Rating : ***1/2