Three years after OMG 2 was released, the film is back in the news after Paresh Rawal claimed on a recent podcast with Vickey Lalwani that he had developed its original idea with director Amit Rai but was neither credited for the story nor the concept. “The saddest part is that I wasn’t even given credit for the story or the concept. My name wasn’t mentioned anywhere,” Rawal said.

Calling these allegations “shocking, untrue and unsubstantiated”, the film’s co-producer Ashwin Varde and Rai have strongly rejected Rawal’s claims. Varde alleged that Rawal had been given a producer credit despite making “zero contribution”, but chose to pass it on to his wife, Swaroop Paresh Rawal, and business partner Hemal Thakkar. He also claimed that Rawal was paid a stipulated amount for the credit.

Varde says Rai had written the film in the OMG format at Rawal’s suggestion. “When I first heard it, my immediate reaction was that this subject resembled the format of OMG totally,” he said, adding that he was concerned because the franchise’s intellectual property rights belonged to Akshay Kumar. 

According to Varde, Rawal had told Rai that the IP belonged to him. “He was trying to make a version of OMG under a different name, which is unethical and unprofessional. For me, that is nothing short of a theft.”

On Rawal’s claim that several actors had rejected the film, Varde says, “They all told him — this is OMG and that is Akshay’s film. Why should we tread into something that belongs to him?”

Varde says his company later acquired the screenplay, which remains registered solely in Rai’s name. He also alleged that Rawal wanted to keep Akshay out of the project, was given a producer credit despite making “zero contribution”, and was paid a stipulated amount: “Nobody tried to cheat Paresh of anything. The only thing we are guilty of is stopping him from doing the same.”

Rai also dismissed Rawal’s claim: “Woh kis tathya ke aadhaar pe yeh keh rahe hain? He is merely making a claim. Kehne ko toh woh kuch bhi keh sakte hain.”

Asserting his authorship, he adds, “Jahaan tak mujhe yaad hai, uss film ka janak bhi main hi hoon, uska karta bhi main hi hoon, school bhejne wala bhi main hi hoon aur college bhejne wala bhi main hi hoon.” Rai says the registered script and Screenwriters Association certificate carry his name.

If you were old enough to watch television in the 1980s, you know Renu Verma. During the pandemic, you met her again. She was the witty, level-headed neighbour from Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, the 1984 Doordarshan sitcom that found a new audience on OTT. The character became one of Indian television’s most enduring icons, thanks to former Miss India Swaroop Sampat.

Now, after a 25-year break from theatre, Sampat is back on stage opposite Anupam Kher in the musical Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane. We meet at a rehearsal studio where she talks about the lessons she learnt from Shafi Inamdar and Rakesh Bedi, and why she believes no other actress could have achieved what she has outside cinema.

Director Gajendra Ahire first thought of casting Sampat after visiting her home to meet her younger son, Aditya Rawal.

“I was amazed that someone so accomplished was serving us tea so casually,” he recalls. When Anupam Kher decided to adapt Ahire’s Marathi play Shvegyachya Shenga into Hindi, Ahire suggested Sampat for the lead.

The offer left her conflicted. Husband Paresh Rawal warned that theatre demanded too much after such a long gap. Her sons were divided. “Anirudh said, ‘I don’t know if you should do it, but it will be nice if you do.’ Aditya said, ‘Come what may, you have to do it.’ They weren’t much help!” she laughs.

Then Kher sent her a brief voice note: “Aap toh aise na the, Swaroop ji.” She gave in.

The play marks her first stage appearance since Shaadi@Barbaadi.com, in which she starred with Paresh Rawal 25 years ago. Yet theatre was her first home. Her father, Bachu Sampat, was Chief Producer of the Indian National Theatre, and she practically grew up backstage.

“By nine, I had learnt make-up by watching theatre doyenne Sarita Joshi. I also learnt how to change saris in seconds. In this play, I have nine costume changes, and I think of her every night.”

After winning Miss India in 1979, Bollywood came calling. But she turned away from most offers. “The films being made in the 1980s did not match my sensibilities.”

She appeared in Naram Garam and Nakhuda, but it was Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi that made her a household name. Behind the scenes, she says, the cast became family. “Shafi Inamdar and Rakesh Bedi taught this South Bombay girl the choicest Hindi gaalis,” she laughs.

Although she stepped away from the spotlight to focus on family, she never entirely left acting. She later appeared in All The Best, and more recently in Ki & Ka and Uri: The Surgical Strike.

“Now, Aditya Dhar is the kind of director I’d love to work with. I’m also open to OTT if the role and the project excite me,” she says.

Interestingly, some of her most significant work happened far from film sets.

A conversation with Paresh Rawal inspired her to complete her education after dropping out years earlier. She eventually earned a PhD in Education from the University of Worcester on a full scholarship. Her doctoral research, The Role of Drama in Enhancing Life Skills in Children with Disabilities, became the foundation for years of work in education policy and classroom training across India. She taught life skills to children in some of the country’s most remote regions, including Bindevpada, a village whose name translates as “A Place Without God”.

“I am ambitious, and I chose to do what truly made me happy,” she says. “No actress could have done what I’ve done in education.”

The remark is neither boastful nor defensive. It is simply how she measures success.

Moments later, rehearsal calls. Despite nursing an injured foot, Sampat heads upstairs for another run-through. The tour will soon take Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane across the US and Canada. After decades away, the stage once again feels like home.

No grand launch, no social media splash. Unlike the hullabaloo created around a star kid’s launch, Aditya Rawal — son to actors Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat — made a quiet debut in 2020 with Bamfaad. Two years on, he is gearing up for his web series debut with Aar Ya Paar. Director Siddharth Sengupta’s thriller, also starring Sumeet Vyas and Patralekhaa, sees Aditya in the role of a tribal archer.

“Siddharth sir has a vision. So, you know that there will be a story that is [making a larger statement], and is not scattered. Another big draw was my character’s journey, from being a member of an isolated tribe to getting involved in global crime,” he says of the Disney+ Hotstar offering.

Besides Aar Ya Paar, Aditya has Hansal Mehta’s hostage drama Faraaz in the pipeline. As he takes baby steps in the industry, the actor is happy to build his path on merit and patience, rather than connections. 

“There was no question of my parents launching me. I never expected that. That’s not how we function as a family, nor would I want it because I would feel as if I’ve not earned it. It was always about going out there, auditioning, and hopefully, getting parts I can sink my teeth into.”

That said, Aditya doesn’t dismiss the privilege that comes with being Paresh’s son. He is well-aware that it enables him to get a foot in the door. “I absolutely agree that it is easier for [star] kids. If there are filmmakers I want to meet, I might get the opportunity to meet them. If as a writer, I want a production house to read my script, chances are they will read it. But after a point, that levels out. You might bag one film or one show, but if they don’t like [your work], you won’t get another chance.”

Paresh Rawal, 59, is a simple, uncomplicated man who hates being a hypocrite, as he believes it corrupts your soul. While he may need to do frivolous braindead comedy at times, what he truly enjoys doing is meaningful comedy, which makes you laugh one moment but also makes you cry. Ahead of his upcoming film Raja Natwarlal, he talks to Bombay Times about his respect for Naseeruddin Shah, what makes him a fan of Narendra Modi and why he loves his wife Swaroop Sampat the most in the world. Excerpts:

How did you come into films?
I am a Gujarati, born and brought up in Mumbai. My father was a textile manager initially and then he had his own business. In school, I would participate in debates and plays and was often told that I was good at it.
Even while doing my graduation from Narsee Monjee, my principal UR Koli was very supportive of me doing theatre and gave me attendance relief to encourage me. My plays would often be dark and serious, even though I do comedies now. I was very inspired by art cinema and directors like Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani and Ketan Mehta. I struggled to get in for three years, but there was a star system there too and then also, they had superior actors, so I did not get a chance and continued to do theatre. Till one day, when my friend Karim Morani was making Arjun and gave me a role. Javed sahab liked me a lot and said to me that I would be in every film of his.

What is the difference between doing theatre and cinema?
Theatre teaches you discipline. In theatre, you get to do some great writing on stage that you cannot do for films, as the economics of making a film versus a play are very different. You can experiment with yourself in theatre and it helps you prepare for the film world. Unlike in films, in theatre, there is a very family kind of bonding with your crew. Above all, in theatre there are no retakes and there is instant acceptance or rejection by the audience. You are not conventionally good-looking.

Your wife Swaroop Sampat was a Miss India. What drew you to each other?
To fall in love, you don't need to be good looking. Swaroop comes from a rich family. I come from a middle-class background. She was from Cathedral, I, from a Vile Parle-based Gujarati medium school, so, any which way, there was nothing in common, but after seeing each other for 12 years, we got married when I was 33. I think she liked my simplicity and my passion to do things that I want to do, regardless of its result, as I always feel ki ek baar main karne ka maza toh le loon. Also, my confidence appealed to her, the fact that despite not being good-looking, I wanted to come into films. For me, my wife and my two sons are my world. They are so pious and uncorrupt that I sometimes feel that they will not be able to face the world. Itne seedhe log hain. I stay in the outside world, so I have to stay a little bit crooked to ensure that at least others don't harm me. I love Swaroop for her simplicity and strength of character. She became a Miss India in 1979. When you are asked a question on stage, many girls say noble things, but in Swaroop's case, she meant it. In 2000, when the kids had grown up and I was stable in my career, she said to me, 'I want to pursue my studies.' She finished her post graduation and then did her Ph.D from Houston University and now is big time into education, where, she stays upto 15 days in poor conditions teaching kids, not taking a single penny for it. So, what she said then that I want to do something for kids, she is fulfilling it. I am not degrading anybody, but she discarded the kitty party film wife culture and went and pursued this instead. She is very straightforward and with her, you get what you see. I only wish that she did not want to always do as many things as she wants to do at the same time. She too thinks that I am too hyper. Luckily, I also have empathy , so can see the other person's point of view.

Your son is attached to Naseeruddin Shah's theatre company. Talk about him.
When you look up to someone as an actor and as a person in life, over the years, his image in your mind is bound to get damaged or reduced. In Naseer bhai's case, it did not happen. In fact, day by day, it is growing. He is a man of commitment. I won't talk about his acting as we all know that, but as a person, he is marvelous. People can say that he is short tempered but he can never be malicious. His hard disk is not corrupted upto now.

Which was the lowest phase in your life?
I never felt low versus my career, as I somehow always knew that I am talented, but the passing away of my parents was a low. My mother died when I was just 34 and my father, in 2010. I was very close to both of them. While life goes on and you live on for your wife and kids, you wonder how come you are breathing after them if you loved them so much.

You were handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are now a Member of Parliament from Ahmedabad. Tell us about Mr Modi.
I first met him in 2006 on the birthday of one of the great writers of Gujarat, Tarak Mehta. I feel there is a payback time in life to give back to society, which has given you every thing. I have no interest in party politics, but I got this chance to do work and accepted it. Fortunately for me, the infrastructure in Ahmedabad is already developed, so I want to focus on health, sanitation and education. I consider myself to be extremely lucky that even the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Anandiben, is very competent. So with such a PM and CM, the work for me becomes much simpler. Most importantly for me, there is a man there who is interested in only working. He has got majority and if this time we cannot do it, then we can never do it. He is very straight, very sharp and never does any loose talk. Every time his mind is ticking on how he can help people and how the country can be benefitted. I am not saying this being a Modi fan. But every time you meet him, you feel motivated. You feel energised and feel like going back and working. I have nothing to do with party politics. When I have a problem, I go to him and he will guide you. Everybody knows that he does not believe in any kind of corruption, be it of money, soul, thought or na neeyat ka. He does not believe in negativity. Just imagine, that guy is not doing all this for himself at all. Na koi aage, na koi peeche. He is a man who has not even taken a 15-day vacation in 15 years. He feels very deeply and the pain shows in his eyes. When he came back from Germany, I met him in Parliament and I asked him, 'Sahab jetlag?' He says, 'Kis baat ka jetlag? Kaam hai, sochoge toh jetlag aayega.' This is not a dialogue. This has been his life to get up at 5-5.30 in the morning and sleep by 1 every night. I met an officer in his office, who was an old friend and told him, 'Join me for a cup of tea.' He tells me, `Where is the time? Mr. Modi is sitting in his office till 12 at night. We don't know when to go home.'

Everybody is working. Before he became the PM, some MPs had written to President Obama to not grant him a US visa. I used to go and do theatre then and Gujaratis there would tell me to tell Mr Modi to have an opinion poll done, to tell President Obama how popular he was. So I called him up one night at 11 from there. He told me unperturbed, 'Kya time hua hai? Aaram se so jao. Let them do their job and let us do ours.' He is as simple as that.

Tell us about your film on Mr Modi?
We are still fine-tuning the script and while obviously Mr Modi does not need any propaganda, we plan to start shooting it this November and release it by March 2015.