This actor rejected Munna Bhai MBBS due to Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s arrogance, demanded Rs 50 lakh for his role, the producer then…, the role later went to…

Aamir Khan and Rajkumar Hirani’s PK is regarded as one of Bollywood’s most acclaimed films. The satirical drama starred Aamir as an alien and explored the complexities of religion, caste, and social norms in India. Interestingly, a few years before PK hit the screens, Umesh Shukla’s OMG, starring Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar, explored striking similar themes. The film was an adaptation of the popular Gujarati play Kanji Virudh Kanji.

Paresh Rawal recently shared an intriguing detail that Rajkumar Hirani and his co-writer Abhijiat Joshi were regular attendees of the play around the time PK was being conceptualised. “It was around the time PK was happening. Saumya Joshi, the brilliant Gujarati writer, would often be accompanied by his brother Abhijat and Raju Hirani. They attended almost every show,” shared Paresh.

He stated that the team used to update the play with fresh dialogues and changes, prompting the PK writers to stay updated, “Any new dialogue, they would come and check. Both are very good people, despite staying with Vidhu Vinod Chopra for so long.”

Paresh Rawal on his disagreements with Munna Bhai MBBS’s producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Paresh didn’t hesitate when discussing about his strained equation with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. “He started ignoring the people he began his career with after achieving success.” Paresh said.

The actor also revealed that he was almost cast as Dr. Asthana, the role later portrayed by Boman Irani in Munna Bhai MBBS. “I was supposed to do Munna Bhai. We were discussing remuneration. In my mind, I wanted ₹15 lakh, and coincidentally, Vidhu offered exactly that. But the way he said, ‘I’ll give you ₹15 lakh’ — with arrogance — irked me. So, out of principle, I demanded ₹50 lakh and refused to back down,” he revealed.

Paresh added, “It was never about the money — it was about the approach. Artistes are built differently. If you place a hand on my shoulder and ask nicely, I would do a film even for ₹1. But if you throw attitude, I won’t work even for crores.”

Interestingly, Paresh later portrayed the similar role in Shankar Dada MBBS, the Telugu remake starring Chiranjeevi. Also, despite the past disaggrement, he went on to collaborate with Vidhu Vinod Chopra again in Sanju, directed by Rajkumar Hirani.

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