The makers of OMG 2 have finally broken their silence on Paresh Rawal’s surprising claim.
A fresh controversy erupted around Akshay Kumar-led 2023 Oh My God 2 after his costar Rawal claimed in an interview with Vickey Lalwani that he came up with the story and idea of the movie but was not given proper credit.
Meanwhile, the veteran actor’s wife, Swaroop Paresh Rawal, was credited as a co-producer on the project.
OMG 2 director Amit Rai addresses Paresh Rawal’s claim
Breaking silence on Paresh Rawal’s shocking claim, director Amit Rai told Hindustan Times, “On what basis is he saying this? First, he needs to answer this. He is merely making a claim. He can say anything he wants to. He is a great actor; I cannot go up to an actor of his stature and ask why he is saying this.”
He continued, “As far as I remember, I am the creator of that film, I am the actor, I am the one who sends him to school and I am the one who sends him to college. To proof of that is the certificate from screenwriter association and the stamp that is put by the person who sees the script. It has my name."
The Road to Sangam director blasted Rawal, saying, “This may be his personal opinion, but I think his answer will be between him and the production company, between him and Akshay Sir. I wrote and produced the film. He woke up too early.”
OMG 2 producer Ashwin Varde speaks out on Paresh Rawal’s claim
Ashwin Varde, the producer of OMG 2, also issued an explosive statement, slamming Paresh Rawal over his absurd claim.
Speaking to the outlet, Varde said that it was Amit Rai who first narrated him the movie.
“When I first heard it, 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.”
He revealed, “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.”
Rai said that when he questioned Rawal about the matter, the Chup Chup Ke actor told him that the intellectual property (IP) belonged to him.
According to the director, that conversation made him realize that Paresh Rawal was allegedly trying to create a version of OMG under a different title.
“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,” he slammed.
OMG 2 starring Akshay Kumar, Anvesha Vij, Yami Gautam, and Pankaj Tripathi was released on August 11, 2023.
