Image shared on Facebook. (Courtesy: beingkGovind Namdev)
Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi's latest release OMG 2, has been making headlines ever since it was reported that the film will be subject to additional scrutiny from the Censor Board to avoid the kind of criticism that Adipurush received upon its release in June. The film was then passed with an adult certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) inviting the ire of many, including veteran actor Govind Namdev, who can be seen in the role of a pujari in the OMG franchise. A few days after the film's release with an adult certificate, the actor slammed the CBFC for the "senseless" censoring thus preventing its target audience - teenagers from watching the film. In an elaborate Facebook post a few days back, the actor wrote, "OMG, O MY GOD is finally released with 24 Censor cuts and senseless A certificate so that teenagers should not see the movie for whom the movie is made." Govind Namdev's in his social media post also launched an attack on the Censor board for not putting too much thought before passing a film like Adipurush. He wrote, "The thought that the Censor Board should have put into censoring an absurd film like Adipurush, they have put in censoring a progressive film like Oh My God! Wow, It will be a wise step if the board rectifies its mistake and give at least a UA certificate to the film."
The Prem Granth actor signed off with these words, "The Thunderous applause by the audiences in theatres today speaks volumes about the film."
For the unversed, Om Raut directorial Adipurush, starring Kriti Sanon, Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan, landed in trouble with the censor board a few months back. Much of the criticism of Adipurush focused on the street style dialogues. One line in particular, spoken by actor Devdatta Nage as Bajrang, was pronounced offensive by the audience and critics alike. "Kapda tere baap ka, tel tere baap ka, aag bhi tere baap ki, aur jalegi bhi tere baap ki," was the dialogue mouthed by the actor in the scene in which Bajrang sets fire to Lanka.
After much criticism and upon the censor board's insistence, the word "baap" was replaced by "Lanka" in new prints of the Om Raut-directed film.
Now, take a look at Govind Namdev's facebook post:
Speaking on the certification fiasco, a source close to the project said, "For a UA certificate, the committee was asking for a lot of cuts. The makers didn't want to compromise the sanctity of the film. So they chose to go with an Adults certification but keeping the integrity of the film intact and also adhering to and respecting the norms of the censor board."
In addition to the above the character of Akshay Kumar in the film was also modified to be shown as a messenger of Lord Shiva rather than the deity himself.
On Thursday, Akshay Kumar shared a special message as OMG 2 collected over ₹ 79 crore in less than a week. The actor also gave a shout out to Sunny Deol's Gadar 2, which clashed with OMG 2 at the box office. Sharing a video on Instagram, Akshay Kumar wrote, “A big thank you to our audiences for all the love for #OhMyGadar [OMG 2 and Gadar 2] and giving us the greatest week in Indian Film History.”
See Akshay Kumar's post below:
Meanwhile, Film critic Saibal Chatterjee, in his review for NDTV, wrote “God's messenger in OMG is embodied by a flamboyant Akshay Kumar. The star's presence in the film is understandable. It enhances the box-office potential of the venture. But why Kanti Sharan Mudgal would need divine intervention to sort out his and his son's everyday problems in the real world is never clearly and convincingly established.”