Paresh Rawal has recently claimed in an interview with Vickey Lalwani that the story that went on to become OMG 2 was his idea, which he had developed with director Amit Rai. However, the concept changed substantially when Akshay Kumar became involved, and thus Rawal decided to stay away. OMG 2 producer Ashwin Varde has now dismissed all such claims made by Paresh Rawal, calling them “shocking, untrue and unsubstantiated”.
In an official statement, the producer said, “These allegations leave me with no option but to publicly set the record straight. I would like to share my version of the journey of OMG 2, as it really happened.”
He continued, “I must also state that Paresh Rawal was given due credit as the PRODUCER in OMG 2, even though he had made zero contribution to it. He chose to give the credit to his wife, Swaroop Paresh Rawal, and his business partner, Hemal Thakkar. Not just that, Paresh Rawal was also paid a stipulated amount of money for OMG 2, which he conveniently forgets to mention in his recent interview.”
“I would like to state again that nobody tried to cheat Paresh Rawal of anything. The only thing we are guilty of is stopping him from doing the same,” added producer Ashwin Varde.
“It was senior actor Pavan Malhotra who first recommended writer-director Amit Rai’s name to me. I had worked with Malhotra in Mubarakan, a film that I produced. I met Amit for a completely different film. Post that, Amit and I became friends, and we’d often meet at his office in Bandra, Mumbai. On one of those days, during a casual conversation, Amit briefly narrated a subject to me, which stayed with me. That was the subject that eventually became OMG 2,” added the producer.
Furthermore, he explained that when he had first heard it, his initial reaction was that it completely resembled the OMG format. It was kept similar because Paresh Rawal had insisted on the OMG 2 script staying as similar to OMG as possible. Paresh Rawal and Amit Rai also shared a good camaraderie, as they had previously worked together on Road to Sangam.
What Left The Producer Concerned About OMG 2
Reiterating his concern, Ashwin Varde said, “But I had a concern – OMG cannot be made without Akshay Kumar or his approval, since I was aware that the IP rights of the film belonged to him.”
“Amit had asked the same question to Paresh, and Paresh had told him that the IP belonged to him (Paresh) and there was nothing to worry about. Though Amit still had reservations, Paresh informed him that even if OMG Part 100 had to be made, only he would write and direct it, suggesting that he was the film’s rightful owner. That’s why Amit went ahead and finished his script, which is entirely his own. The only difference was that the character of God (which was later played by Akshay Kumar) was that of a fakir,” he added.
The producer further explained that Paresh Rawal’s intentions became clear to him after this. He realised that Rawal was trying to make OMG 2 under a different name, which was ‘unethical’ and ‘unprofessional’.
“It was trying to steal someone else’s creation and property, and use it under a guise. For me, that is nothing short of theft,” he added.
The producer continued, “I realised then that the script needed to be protected, and that’s when my company (Wakaoo Films) acquired the script. The script was, and is still, registered under the name of Amit Rai, who is the sole writer of the film. It is completely unfair and unwarranted on Paresh’s part to have expected any kind of credit for the film’s script, since this is something he never mentioned to me in our many meetings. Perhaps because it is simply not true.”
“After we acquired the film, on Amit’s behest, I met Paresh, but that was purely to cast him in the film. We met him once at the Willingdon Club in Mahalaxmi and once at the Mangii Ferra restaurant in Juhu, where we discussed his role and character,” he added.
Paresh Rawal’s Reaction To OMG 2 Script Being Taken To Akshay Kumar
The producer spoke about why it was essential for the script to first be taken to Akshay Kumar, since OMG 2 was turning out to be a lot like OMG. He shared how he was shocked to see Paresh Rawal’s reaction.
The producer said, “I met Paresh for the third time at Soho House in Juhu, where I told him that I would have to take this script first to Akshay Kumar since this is too much like OMG, and it would be unethical on my part not to do so. I was shocked to see his reaction. He was emphatic that this film cannot be OMG – he kept repeating that without giving any plausible reason. It became obvious after a point that he wanted to keep Akshay Kumar out of the project for reasons best known to him.”
He continued, “Being a producer myself, I would never do anything that’s detrimental to another producer. It’s like me making a script on the same lines as Sholay and not taking permission from Sippy Films. Just changing Thakur Baldev Singh’s character to a woman would not change anything.”
“I tried explaining not just the ethical implications of it but also the legal ramifications, but Paresh was stubborn. His continuous rant was – it cannot become OMG. But since the script belonged to us now, we decided to do the right thing. And that’s how OMG 2 happened,” added Ashwin Varde.
“Paresh says in his podcast that he approached several actors with this script and they all turned it down. He forgets to mention why they all turned it down. They did so because they all told him, ‘This is OMG and that is Akshay Kumar’s film. Why should we tread into something that belongs to him? Or go and get his approval,’ they all said.
“Despite all that had happened, Paresh was still the first actor we approached. Akshay Kumar also spoke to him and tried to convince him to do the part. But he refused to budge from his stance. We waited for almost two months, after which we moved on. Throughout this journey, I reiterate that Paresh’s involvement with the film was purely in the capacity of an actor and nothing else. In fact, there was also an actor agreement exchanged between us at that time,” concluded Ashwin Varde.
About OMG 2
Directed by Amit Rai, it is the sequel to Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal’s 2012 film OMG – Oh My God. The first installment presented the story of Kanji Lalji Mehta (played by Paresh Rawal), who files a case against God for the destruction of his shop in an earthquake.
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