OMG director Umesh Shukla shuts down ₹8 crore payoff talk with Aamir Khan's PK makers; here's what he said

After much speculation, filmmaker Umesh Shukla has spoken out about the similarities between his 2012 film OMG—Oh, My God! and Aamir Khan's 2014 smash hit PK, directed by Rajkumar Hirani. In a recent interview with Friday Talkies, the filmmaker addressed the rumours that circulated around the time of the films' debuts and spoke up about thematic connections.

Similarities between OMG—Oh, My God! and PK

When it came to religion and blind faith, both OMG and PK used satire to criticise the marketing and manipulation that were commonplace in religious rites. Paresh Rawal portrayed an atheist in OMG – Oh My God! who sues God following the destruction of his shop in an earthquake. Playing the role of a contemporary Krishna, Akshay Kumar led the protagonist through a legal struggle that challenged the authority of established religion. In contrast, Aamir Khan portrayed an alien in PK who was attempting to recover a stolen communication gadget after becoming stuck on Earth. As he challenges religious doctrines and individuals who claim to be gods, the film chronicles his journey.

Shukla shared his thoughts on the similarities, saying, "I think they might’ve had a similar idea in mind. If PK had released before my film, people might have said that mine resembled PK. Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and writer Abhijat Joshi had all seen my play. So, when someone works on a similar subject, there’s bound to be some reflection. If you’re making a love story and someone says ‘I love you’ in that film, well, of course they will; it’s a love story."

ALSO READ: Aamir Khan denies PK sequel reports but confirms Lokesh Kanagaraj’s superhero movie; 'It's a big-scale action film' 

Refuting allegations

According to an old allegation, Shukla was given Rs. 8 crore by Vidhu Vinod Chopra to back out of OMG. Refuting the accusation, he stated, "At that time, there were even rumours that Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who was part of PK, gave me ₹8 crore to not make the film. But that was just gossip; nothing like that actually happened."

He continued, "Wo apne aap mein itne talented log hain. Rajkumar Hirani sahab, Abhijat, Vidhu Vinod Chopra sahab, Aamir Khan sahab, sab log itne talented hain ki wo itni unchi harkat karte hi nahi the paisa dene ke liye. (They are all very talented individuals. Rajkumar Hirani sir, Abhijat, Vidhu Vinod Chopra sir, Aamir Khan sir – they are too accomplished to stoop to such acts like offering money.) Yeh sab udd chali thi uss samay par; aisa kuch nahi tha. (All of this had just taken flight at the time – there was no truth to it.)"

Both films achieved success

Both films were successful, despite the controversy surrounding their originality. OMG – Oh My God! received 149 crore rupees globally and was lauded for its daring storyline. With worldwide earnings of ₹792 crore, PK became an enormous success at the box office.

While similarities in themes have been apparent for some time, recent comments by Umesh Shukla put an end to rumours of animosity or malfeasance on set and demonstrated mutual regard between the directors collaborating on these projects.