‘Akshay Kumar refused to play god in OMG because of Amitabh Bachchan’, reveals director Umesh Shukla; ‘If Big B couldn’t do it…’

Director Umesh Shukla talks about pitching the script of OMG to Akshay Kumar and recalls how the actor had his qualms about playing the character of god because of something Big B did.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | September 16, 2025 03:52 PM IST

4 min read

Amitabh Bachchan in God Tussi Great Ho and Akshay Kumar in OMG.

Bollywood films that showcase religion, cricket or films while questioning any of the widely accepted notions regarding these three matters often find themselves on the chopping block. Director Umesh Shukla’s OMG (2012) was no different, and the questions it raised about the way in which something like religion is used and weaponised in our country did not sit well with a lot of people. In a recent interview, Shukla revealed that the film almost never made it to the theatres, because the lead star, Akshay, did not want to play God.

While talking about his new film Heer Express, the director told Fever FM the story behind the making of the film. The host asked him about the challenges he faced while getting someone like Akshay for the project, and the director said, “To some extent it was difficult getting Akshay for and into that role. He initially said no to the project, because Amitabh Bachchan had recently played God in a film called God Tussi Great Ho. The film didn’t work, so Akshay thought that if Amitabh didn’t work in that role, how would he look convincing enough as a god? I told him that ‘we have a very different take on God’, because he is using a laptop and riding a bike, so it’s very different than how we usually portray God in films.”

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He added that Akshay was impressed by the way the film dealt with the image of God and revealed the last straw that convinced the actor to do the film. “He liked the several unique aspects of that role, such as swapping the sudarshan chakra for the keychain. He then saw the play, on which the film is based, and upon observing the kind of response it got from the audience. He realised that there was depth to the story and that people were actually accepting it. There is always a doubt in the back of your mind regarding people’s reaction to such stories. We had a few problems along the way, because I, along with Akshay and Paresh Rawal, all got threats, but somehow it got managed. When people watched the film, they realised that it was a very balanced film. It was a risky story, but it ultimately worked for us,” said Shukla.

Much like its predecessor, OMG 2 also hit a lot of snags during its production and release. Firstly, Paresh decided to step away from the project and was replaced by Pankaj Tripathi. In an old interview with Bollywood Bubble, Paresh talked about his decision to not work in OMG 2 and said, “I didn’t like the story, so I didn’t want to be a part of it. I didn’t like the character of the sequel, so I refused to take it up. If you are making a sequel, keep it like Munna Bhai MBBS.”

Apart from that, OMG 2 was given an A certificate, which did not come as a pleasant surprise to many of the stars involved with the project, including the director, Amit Rai. Yami Gautam spoke about being disappointed with CBFC’s decision, while Amit blamed the Board for killing a lot of footfall that the film might have received had it not been for the A certification.

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