OMG 2 director Amit Rai reveals what Akshay Kumar said about using Gadar song in the film: ‘It’s not us versus them’

Akshay Kumar's OMG 2 featured a song from Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, whose sequel clashed at the box office with the Akshay Kumar-starrer.

Director Amit Rai opens up on using Gadar's song in his film OMG 2.

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The film OMG 2 clashed with Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2 at the box office in August, leaving movie lovers spoiled for choice. What surprised the audience was the inclusion of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’s song “Udja Kale Kawa” in OMG 2. Director Amit Rai revealed in an interview that they shot the scene a month before Gadar 2’s release date was announced.

Gadar 2 is the sequel of the 2001 film Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. In OMG 2, Akshay Kumar plays the role of Lord Shiva’s messenger and the director shared that Gadar’s song fit perfectly in the particular scene. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Amit said in Hindi, “We never thought that we would have a Gadar 2 vs OMG 2 at the box office. Had we known, we wouldn’t have recorded that song a month before.”

Also Read | OMG 2 director Amit Rai says he folded his hands in front of censor board for UA certificate: ‘Must have sent 70 messages to Prasoon Joshi’

Talking about why they picked this particular song, Amit said that the film’s music rights are owned by Zee Music, which also owns Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’s music rights.

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“Our music was owned by Zee, and we wanted an old song that would be suitable for the messenger of God. He couldn’t sing any of the new songs. Lord Shiva couldn’t sing “Aaj blue hai paani paani”. We wanted a sober song, which would generate some love and brotherhood and would suit the face of a God.”

A big thank you to our audiences for all the love for #OhMyGadar and giving us the greatest week in Indian Film History!
प्यार और आभार🙏🏻#Gadar2 in cinemas#OMG2 in cinemas pic.twitter.com/63l8G4JTA6

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 17, 2023

The director said that he personally loves the song, but was concerned about using it in the film because he knew that Gadar 2 was being made. “I asked them (Zee) if it would be ok to use the song, considering Gadar 2 might release soon, and they said that we are not teasing anyone. Akshay ji said himself that, ‘We are not fighting anyone. It’s not us versus them. We are OMG 2 plus Gadar or whichever film releases with us. The industry should learn to survive and prosper together’,” said the director.

While OMG 2 opened to a decent collection at the box office, Gadar 2 started on a thunderous note, breaking several box office records. On the first day, Gadar 2’s collection was Rs 40.01 crore whereas OMG 2 opened with Rs 10.26 cr nett. After releasing on August 11, OMG 2’s box office collection stands at Rs 142.97 cr and Gadar 2 is at Rs 486.45cr.

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