Paresh Rawal reveals the shocking reason why he walked out of Akshay Kumar’s OMG 2.
When OMG 2 released in cinema halls in 2023, the film had already weathered storms before release. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) raised eyebrows over its mix of sex education and religious themes, forcing multiple delays. The makers had hoped for a U/A certificate to reach adolescents, but the film was cleared only with an A rating.
Even Akshay Kumar’s role had to be altered from Lord Shiva to ‘Shiv ka Doot’ to ease concerns. Despite these hurdles, the film went on to rake in more than Rs 221 crore worldwide against a budget of around Rs 50 crore.
In a recent chat with Vicky Lalwani, Paresh Rawal insisted that the story could have taken a very different path.
The veteran actor revealed that the original concept was his brainchild, developed with director Amit Rai. His version was a grounded father-son drama without divine intervention. The plot revolved around a boy whose private act was caught on video and went viral, turning his life upside down. His father, a tourist guide at Khajuraho temple, fought to restore dignity and justice. Rawal even brought sexologist Dr Prakash Kothari on board to ensure the film was educational yet sensitive. “Our intention was to make the film entertaining and informative, not vulgar,” he said.
Rawal claimed the script was narrated to Anurag Kashyap and even pitched to Dharma Productions, but was rejected. His vision included a biker guiding the father, someone in the vein of Kader Khan’s character from Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, instead of a godly figure. He had Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan in mind for the biker role, but never approached Akshay Kumar, fearing audiences would automatically label it OMG 2.
Things changed when producer Ashwin Varde and Akshay Kumar entered the picture. Rawal said Akshay personally asked him to join the project, but he refused, believing the divine angle diluted the original intent. “This isn’t the film I had envisioned,” he told Akshay.
Eventually, Pankaj Tripathi stepped into the father’s role, and the film took the shape audiences saw in 2023. Rawal, however, lamented not being credited for the story. “Everyone knows it was my idea—Amit, Akshay, Ashwin, Ajay, Salman, even Karan Johar. But my name wasn’t mentioned anywhere,” he said.
OMG 2 revolves around a devoted father whose son’s life is shattered after a scandal, leading him to fight for justice and dignity. Besides Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi, the film also featured Yami Gautam in a pivotal role.
