Released in 2023, ‘OMG 2’ emerged as a critical and commercial success despite facing prolonged scrutiny from the CBFC for its mix of sex education and religious themes. The film was eventually cleared with an A certificate after several changes, including the presentation Akshay KumarIts character is like a divine messenger instead of Lord Shiva. It went on to reportedly earn more than Rs 221 crore worldwide. The first ‘OMG’ starred Paresh Rawal: in the lead role while the sequel stars Pankaj Tripathi. Now, Rawal has admitted that the film was originally based on an idea he developed with the director Amit Raibut underwent major changes after Akshay Kumar came on board. According to the veteran actor, the final version of the story he envisioned was very different, which is why he walked away from the project. He also alleged that he was not credited with the original story or concept.Paresh recalls approaching Amit Rai, whose work on ‘Road to Sangam’ he admired, with the initial idea. “I approached Amit Rai, the director of Road to Sangam, and asked him if he was planning another film. I was very impressed with him. I told him, ‘I have an idea. Let’s sit down and write it.’ I told him that I am not a writer but I can contribute ideas and help identify where we are wrong because I understand the screenplay to some extent,” he said.The actor said the original story revolved around a young man whose private act was recorded and circulated online, leading to humiliation and social isolation. The narrative follows his father as he struggles to restore his son’s dignity and challenge the stigma surrounding the incident.“The story is about a boy who is caught masturbating, and a video of the incident goes viral, making his life miserable. His father is a tourist guide at the Khajuraho temple. Amit suggested making him a part-time priest at the Mahakal Temple. We developed the script together and even brought in sexologist Dr Prakash Kothari. We have many meetings because our intention is to make the film educational, entertaining and not vulgar. We are deeply involved in the process,” Paresh said.He added that the script is narrated by: Anurag Kashyap before arriving: Somen Mishra by Dharma Productions. “Some outright said it wouldn’t work.”Paresh maintained that the film was never conceived as a sequel to *OMG*. Instead, he envisions a biker as the protagonist’s guide, rather than a godly man. “Our main idea is that there is a biker who guides the father, not God. In the first OMG, God appeared because the case is against God. But this film is about the fight of a father to get justice for his son. There is no need for a holy character. We want someone like Kader Khan’s character in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar,” he explained.He revealed that he approached Ajay Devgn and: Salman Khan: for the role of the biker but deliberately did not approach Akshay Kumar.“I didn’t approach Akshay because people thought it was OMG 2, whereas that wasn’t the plan,” he said. Paresh further admitted that while the project was still taking shape, discussions had started on Akshay’s participation in the film. “I was under the impression that we were still thinking about things. So we had a meeting with Vipul Shah of Optimystix. They also asked about Akshay, and I said that if I want to work with him, I will approach him directly. We partnered with Akshay in OMG. I didn’t need anyone to bridge the gap,” he recalled.According to Paresh, Amit Rai informed him that Akshay wanted to star in the project. “A few days later, Amit Rai called and told me that Akshay wanted to do the film. The issue was that Amit had temporarily written ‘OMG 2’ in the script because the genre was the same,” said Paresh.He also blamed the producer Ashwin Varde was instrumental in bringing the project to Akshay. “In one of our meetings, Ashwin Varde was there. That’s when they decided they wanted to do it with Akshay,” he said. Paresh said that once the project started moving in a different direction, he decided to walk away rather than fight the changes with Amit Rai.“I told Amit I didn’t want to go ahead with it. Amit said, ‘But they want it.’ They took the script from him. I told Amit that I will not fight him; I am his friend. If that’s what he chooses, I wish him well. I repeatedly told them it wasn’t a franchise because it wasn’t one. But they’re still going,” he said.He added that Akshay later approached him with an offer to star in the film, but he turned it down because he no longer recognized the story he had helped develop. “I spoke to Akshay. He asked me to do the film. I told him, ‘No. This is not the film I envisioned. There is no role of God in this story.’ He tried to convince me, but I lived with the script from the beginning. I know exactly what it is. That’s why I left,” said Paresh.The role of the father finally went to Pankaj Tripathi, while Akshay Kumar appeared as “Shiv ka Doot.”Paresh said his biggest disappointment was not being recognized for his contribution to the original concept. “The saddest part is that I was not given credit for the story or the concept. My name was not mentioned anywhere,” he said.He added that many prominent names in the industry knew that the idea came from him. “Amit, Akshay, Ashwin, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar and Salman Khan… all know that this is my idea and my story. Ajay and Salman might have said no because of the subject. They thought it might be controversial. I tried to explain the concept to them,” he said.