‘Nothing short of a theft’: Producer slams Paresh Rawal over ‘shocking’ OMG 2 claims

The producer further added, “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, in a casual conversation, Amit briefly narrated a subject to me, which stayed with me. That was the subject that eventually became OMG 2.”

‘OMG cannot be made without Akshay Kumar’

Recalling how the makers, including himself and director Amit Rai, didn’t want to film to be made without Akshay Kumar, Ashwin Varde said, “When I first heard it (the story of OMG 2), my immediate reaction was that this subject resembled the format of OMG totally. Then, Amit told me that he had written it in the OMG format because Paresh Rawal had asked him to stay as close to OMG as possible in terms of the narrative. Paresh had worked with him in his earlier film, Road To Sangam and they both shared a good camaraderie. 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.”

He continued, “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 you will 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.”

Ashwin Varde said that he later realised that Paresh Rawal wanted to make a completely different version of OMG in its sequel. “That’s when it began clear to me what Paresh was trying to do. He was trying to make a version of OMG under a different name, which is 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 a theft.”

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He continued, “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. I realised then that the script needed to be protected and that’s when my company (Wakaoo Films) acquired the script.”

Paresh Rawal demands credit for OMG 2

The producer went on to elaborate why the veteran actor shouldn’t have expected any kind of credit. He said, “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.”

Varde added, “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 wanted to keep Akshay Kumar out of the project’

During the interview, Ashwin Varde also recalled his meeting with Paresh Rawal after the scripting of OMG 2 was completed. “I met Paresh for the third time at the 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 from the project for reasons best known to him,” he said.

Varde 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. By 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.”

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“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 credits 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,” Ashwin Varde concluded.

What Paresh Rawal said about OMG 2

During a recent conversation with Vickey Lalwani, Paresh Rawal claimed that OMG 2 was based on his original idea and alleged that he was never credited for it. The actor said, “I had approached Amit Rai, the director of Road to Sangam, and asked him if he was planning another film. I admire him a lot. I told him, ‘I have an idea. Let’s sit and write it.’ I told him I wasn’t a writer but I could contribute ideas and help identify where we were going wrong because I understand screenplay to some extent.”

He continued, “The saddest part is that I wasn’t even given credit for the story or the concept. My name wasn’t mentioned anywhere. Amit, Akshay, Ashwin, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar and Salman Khan… all know it was my idea and my story. Ajay and Salman probably said no because of the subject. They thought it could become controversial. I tried explaining the concept to them.”

OMG 2 also starred Pankaj Tripathi, alongside Akshay Kumar. The first instalment of the franchise, which was a huge box office success, featured Paresh Rawal with Akshay.