‘Actor wanted to keep Akshay out of project’
Producer Ashwin Varde has strongly refuted actor Paresh Rawal’s recent claims about the making of OMG-2, alleging that Rawal had wanted to keep Akshay Kumar out of the project despite the franchise belonging to the superstar.
‘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.”
Responding to Rawal’s claim that several actors had rejected the script, Varde 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.”
He added that his company later acquired the script. “I realized then that the script needed to be protected and that’s when my company (Wakaoo Films) acquired the script.” Varde further maintained that Amit Rai remains the sole writer of the film.
He added that his biggest concern was the ownership of the franchise. “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.”
According to Varde, Amit Rai had raised the same issue with Paresh Rawal. (IANS)
