Why the CBFC is taking no risks with Akshay Kumar's OMG 2 

Akshay Kumar has taken a break from playing jingoistic hypernationalist heroes (just this once) as he is back in the role of a god in OMG 2. However, considering the backlash that Adipurush has generated from Hindus, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has put the movie on hold with the board’s revising committee reviewing specific dialogues and scenes. 

The sequel to the 2012 satirical comedy OMG-Oh My God, OMG 2 finds Akshay Kumar returning but as the god Shiva instead of Krishna. The teaser that was released on July 11 (Monday) revealed that Pankaj Tripathi would be starring alongside him instead of the first movie’s lead Paresh Rawal. Tripathi will also be joined by Yami Gautam and Arun Govil AKA Lord Ram from Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana. 

A CBFC source told India Today that following the Adipurush controversy, the Censor Board will send any movie dealing with subjects like God or religion for review and revision. This is being described as “preemptive measures”. 

ALSO READ: Just how many changes did Adipurush make to Ramayana to get #BoycottAdipurush trending?

While the board’s decision is pending, there is no clarity on which particular scenes have been sent for further review. 

If everything works in its favour, OMG 2 is scheduled for an August 11 release. The plot is centred on a Shiva devotee (Tripathi) and how his life changes when his Lord himself arrives in town. The narrative is in contrast from the first part as the Paresh Rawal-starrer focused on an atheist attempting to sue God (and then God shows up as Krishna). 

Even though this time the movie is about a true believer, the CBFC is taking no chances lest they offend any of the Hindu demographic. Long before Adipurush, the Aamir Khan-starrer PK had generated unwarranted controversies from Hindus and other religious groups. The tale of an alien exploring religions and outsmarting a fake religious guru had clearly rubbed many the wrong way despite earning big at the box office. 

While OMG-Oh My God also took a satirical approach like PK to expose those who “sell” religion, the movie was received less fiercely and managed to earn critical and commercial success. It even spawned two remakes, one in Telugu (Gopala Gopala) and one in Kannada (Mukunda Murari). Interestingly, the first movie was based on a Gujarati play (Kanji Virudh Kanji) which in itself was inspired by the Australian comedy The Man Who Sued God (which is exactly what it sounds like). 

So far, OMG 2 has not flared up any major controversies. As for Paresh Rawal not returning as lead, his older interview with Bollywood Bubble provides the answers. The actor said that he didn’t wish to get onboard OMG 2 as he didn’t appreciate the story and for him making a sequel is just “encash karna”. Maybe OMG 2 didn’t carry the same gravitas as Hera Pheri 2.