'Itni unchi harkat...': This director allegedly got Rs 8 crore bribe to stall release of Akshay Kumar's blockbuster film for Aamir Khan's...? Here's the truth

Many films in Bollywood clash at the box office during their release. While some films clash despite a different theme and storyline, there are others that have a similar idea and are still released close to each other. Aamir Khan's PK and Akshay Kumar's OMG were two films that were superhits at the box office, were released two years apart, but were still mired in controversy when it was alleged that OMG's director was bribed to stop the release of his film. 

Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan's film PK was a huge success at the box office; however, the concept of this film was very similar to Umesh Shukla's film OMG-Oh My God!, in which Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal were seen in the lead roles. Although the film OMG was released about two years before PK, there were rumours that director Umesh Shukla was bribed to stop the release of OMG. 

Now, in a recent interview with Friday Talkies, the filmmaker not only spoke about the comparisons between the two films but also addressed the bribery allegations. Speaking about the similar concepts of the two films, Umesh Shukla said, "I think they might’ve had a similar idea in mind. If PK had been 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."

Speaking about the rumours of Vidhu Vinod Chopra bribing him to stall the release of OMG, Umesh Shukla said, "At that time, there were even rumours that Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who was part of PK, gave me Rs 8 crore to not make the film. But that was just gossip, nothing like that actually happened. 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. Yeh sab uḍ chali thi uss samay par, aisa kuch nahi tha (They are all incredibly talented individuals—Rajkumar Hirani sir, Abhijat, Vidhu Vinod Chopra sir, Aamir Khan sir. They are way above doing something so petty as offering money to stop a film. These were just talks that floated around back then, but there was no truth to it)."

OMG featured Paresh Rawal as an atheist who sues God (played by Akshay Kumar) after his shop is destroyed in an earthquake, leading to a courtroom drama that questions religious institutions. PK featured Aamir Khan as an alien who loses his remote and is forced to confront how religion shapes people's beliefs. Both films made strong social commentary using satire and humour. While OMG grossed Rs 149 crore worldwide, PK grossed Rs 792 crore worldwide.

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