Producer Ashwin Varde has issued a statement denying claims made by actor Paresh Rawal in a recent podcast about the making of OMG 2, calling the allegations “shocking”, “untrue” and “unsubstantiated”.

Ashwin Varde expresses shock at Paresh Rawal’s claims about OMG 2, accuses him of “trying to steal” someone else’s creation

Varde opened his statement saying, “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.”

Varde said writer-director Amit Rai first narrated the subject to him casually at his Bandra office, adding, “When I first heard it, my immediate reaction was that this subject resembled the format of OMG totally.” He said, “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.”

Varde said he raised concerns at the time, noting, “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 said Rai had put the same question to Rawal, who assured him the IP belonged to him and there was nothing to worry about.

Varde said, “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.” He added, “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.”

On Rawal’s claim that several actors had turned down the script, Varde said, “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.”

Varde said his company, Wakaoo Films, later acquired the script, which remains registered solely under Rai’s name, adding, “The script was and is still registered under the name of Amit Rai who is the sole writer of the film.” He said, “It is completely unfair and unwarranted on Paresh’s part to have expected any kind of credit for the film’s script.”

Recounting a meeting at Soho House in Juhu, Varde said, “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. His was emphatic that this film cannot be OMG. He kept repeating that without giving any plausible reason.” He added, “It became obvious after a point that he wanted to keep Akshay Kumar out from the project for reasons best known to him.”

Drawing a comparison, Varde said, “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.”

Varde said Rawal remained the first actor approached for the role despite the disagreement, adding, “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.”

Varde said, “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 an actor agreement also that was exchanged between us at that time.”

Varde also said Rawal was credited as a producer on OMG 2 despite making no contribution to the film, adding, “He chose to give the credits to his wife, Swaroop Paresh Rawal and his business partner, Hemal Thakkar.” He said, “Paresh Rawal was also paid a stipulated amount of money for OMG 2, which he conveniently forgets to mention in his recent interview.”

Varde concluded, “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.”

OMG 2 was directed by Amit Rai and produced by Wakaoo Films. The film starred Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi in lead roles and released in theatres in 2023. Paresh Rawal has not issued a response to Varde’s statement.

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