17 July,2026 05:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ashwin Varde and Paresh Rawal. Pics via Instagram and X
Actor Paresh Rawal recently made some shocking claims alleging that the idea of OMG 2 was originally his and that he wasn't given credit for the same. The veteran actor further alleged that he did not want to make the film as OMG 2 and hence did not want Akshay Kumar to join the project. When asked how it reached Akshay, the actor said that it probably reached him through producer Ashwin Varde, who was present at one of the early discussions. Now, the producer has broken his silence on the matter.
Reacting to Paresh Rawal's claims, Ashwin Varde said, "The accusations made by Paresh Rawal in a recent podcast pertaining to OMG-2 are shocking, untrue and unsubstantiated. 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."
Revealing how the story was originally written by Amit Rai alone, he said, "Amit briefly narrated a subject to me, which stayed with me. That was the subject that eventually became OMG-2. 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."
"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 you 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.
He further alleged, "That's when it began to become 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."
Reacting to Paresh Rawal's claim of approaching Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan for the film, the producer said, "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 realized then that the script needed to be protected and that's when my company (Wakaoo Films) acquired the script."
Addressing Paresh Rawal's claim of not getting credit, Ashwin 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."
The producer also claimed that he met Paresh Rawal thrice after the incident and told him that he would have to take this script first to Akshay Kumar. "I was shocked to see his reaction. His 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 added.
"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."
The producer added that after things were finalised, they approached Rawal again, and even Akshay Kumar tried to convince him to do the part. But he refused to budge. After waiting for almost two months, they eventually moved on."
The producer went on to claim, "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," he concluded.
