Bachpan Supports OMG2- a Movie on Sex Education

“Please handle with care” (OMG2), a sentence so concise and succinct, yet establishes the ground for the enormity of this movie! 

Oh My God 2 (OMG2) is a Bollywood movie that recently hit the cinemas with a bang. Continuing the legacy of OMG, OMG2 too makes for a memorable watch. It is a perfect culmination of spirituality, drama, and comedy whilst focusing on the crucial topic of Sex Education in Indian Schools.

OMG2 – The Narrative

Curtains curl up and the movie begins. Shot in a religious city in India, the attention grabbing story is about an adolescent, Vivek, a happy-go-lucky teenager. Vivek is a bright student, an all-rounder! He leads a normal life until everything goes haywire. Under peer-pressure, he is forced to believe that he isn’t good enough for a girl owing to the inadequate size of his “penis”. Sadly, without sex-education, and the wrongful influence of his classmates and a few marketing gimmicks, he starts to believe that the fault lies within him.

Perturbed, Vivek decides to treat his “shortcomings” by taking unsupervised drugs and pills. Moreover, the boy had taken intensely to masturbating after some bullies convinced him he has a small penis; later, the same kids filmed him in the act and uploaded the video online. After repeated failures in improvement and the continuous tarnish of his image, Vivek decides to end his life! Bothered by his son’s misery, Vivek’s father, Mr. Kanti (Mr. Pankaj Tripathi) decides to step in for his son, and he is guided at each step by Lord Shiva’s messenger (Played by Mr. Akshay Kumar), giving the movie its spiritual angle.

He legally fights for his son, proving the importance of “sex education in Indian schools”. The movie beautifully captures the turmoil of this young boy, who is blamed by the society, his school, and even his parents until later for shamefully “masturbating” in school premises. The movie not only showcases the importance of sex education but also the early access to it at schools. Had it been for proper knowledge and exposure, Vivek wouldn’t have had to bear mental trauma and loneliness, thus emphasizing the indispensability of sex education! The movie ends on a positive note when Mr. Kanti wins the case against the school authorities and the others, promising a new beginning of life for his son, Vivek.

Actors and their Splendor

OMG2 casts some of the gems from our movie industry, including Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi, and the child protagonist – Aarush Varma. Each actor beautifully captures the essence of their character and the end result is a heartfelt movie, A Movie for a Cause! 

Akshay Kumar plays the pivotal role of Lord Shiva’s Messenger. He is an  extraordinary actor who brings the character to life, and guides the protagonist throughout the journey. He personifies the guiding light we all seek in life, and thanks to him, Vivek could find hope in his darkest hour. 

Pankaj Tripathi as Kanti Sharan plays the ardent father to Vivek, and is a true disciple of Lord Shiva. He is the father that we all look up-to. By fighting against the society, he does everything in his control to create a safe space for his son. He learns that his son’s life is most important and tries to become a friend to him. With meticulous efforts from him, the court decides in his favor to charge the school and others for all the wrongdoings to Vivek. 

Yami Gautam Dhar plays the role of Kamini Maheshwari, a lawyer from an affluent family. She portrays the villainous character of every Indian who refuses to accept sex-education as a vital component of every child’s schooling. She brings out the personality so boldly that one falls for her acting skills. Her character, much like our society, disregards the mental and sexual health of a child, instead blames the child itself for any misguided action. Much like she accepts her defeat at the end of the movie, the societal stereotypes must be challenged in order to ensure a brighter future for children. 

Played by Aarush Varma, Vivek embodies all the adolescents throughout the world who are confused and misguided in regard to sexual health. A role enacted so sincerely that one connects with him instantly! From being a submissive teenager initially to a confident person at the end, he comes a long way! This inspires all of us to have faith in our truth and never give-in to the hardships. 

Each and every actor in the film played a crucial role, all tying up-to a masterpiece that highlights a sensitive topic with utmost respect and sincerity.

Team Bachpan : The Reviewers

It was a genius move to use the spiritual and religious angle in the movie. No matter the criticism, that was the reason that people actually went and believed in the message of the movie. Apart from being an excellent topic, the movie also has glimpses of extraordinary cinematography. All the scenes depicting Shivji are so beautifully captured that it is a delight to the eye.

The religious portrayal in the film resonated with the general public and touched their hearts. In retrospect, had the movie been shot in a metro city, most people would have brushed it off as being unrealistic or a problem of the “urbans”. Moreover, the use of hindi language, “Sanatan Dharma”, and religious texts make this a more acceptable topic for the common man.

OMG2 Joins Bachpan

Disturbed by heinous child sexual abuse cases in India, Bachpan Save The Innocence (aka BSTI) came into Existence in the year 2020.  It is a non-profit organization that works with the sole purpose of Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). The organization aims not only to prevent such abuse but also provide therapy to the CSA victims. To do so, we routinely deliver workshops with thoughtfully curated content on Safe-Unsafe Touch, Adolescence, and Cyber Safety for the students and elders alike. Our team also helps to report CSA cases and ensure proper redressal of the concern.

Much like in OMG2 when the high priest’s granddaughter gathers up courage post watching Vivek and shares about the sexual abuse by her own uncle, we have seen children open up-to us post workshops and share their own CSA stories trustingly.  We believe that with timely knowledge and education to the children, we will be able to prepare and equip them better to deal with life. Ease of communication between the child and adult comes from a conducive environment, an environment that is child-friendly!

Three years, 500+ workshops, 24500+ sensitisation, and 14+ awareness programs later, we stand strong in our motive to provide the necessary education to all, irrespective of the societal biases and stereotypes. After facing backlashes early on in our journey, we now feel that OMG2 was created to vocalize what Bachpan stands for, which is, quality sex education for all! Our team is sincerely thankful for OMG 2 as it empowered us to keep going. OMG2 not only relates to the millions of children out there but with the mission of our organization, BSTI too.

BSTI has been tirelessly working to provide sex education in schools. There were days when schools wouldn’t accept our proposal for a workshop but with time, people have come around and we are now actively delivering seminars in certain parts of 3 states. Thus, we can totally relate to the plot of OMG2, and salute the team to have turned this into a national phenomenon! We need more such people who can talk about Sex Education and educate the general public about the gravity of the matter. We at BSTI believe that there shall come a day when our country will be free of this taboo and make for a safer place for children!