Umesh Shukla denies Rs 8 crore bribe claims: PK’s box office triumph stands tall

Umesh Shukla has firmly denied allegations that he accepted an Rs 8 crore bribe to halt the making of the film PK. Addressing the rumors, Shukla stated, "At that time, there were even rumours that Vidhu Vinod Chopra gave me Rs 8 crore to not make the film. But that was just gossip, Nothing of the sort ever happened."
The controversy surrounding the film did not affect its commercial success. PK went on to become a massive box office hit and is now regarded as one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of all time.
Shukla also mentioned that prominent filmmakers Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi had seen his theatre play, which inspired the film OMG: Oh My God, on which PK was based. However, Hirani and Joshi had earlier clarified that the original screenplay of PK, conceived in the late 2000s, was markedly different.
"Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi had seen his theatre play on which the film OMG: Oh My God was based," Shukla said.
Despite the swirling rumors and differences in screenplay origins, PK's box office triumph stands tall, underscoring its impact and popularity in Indian cinema.

Umesh Shukla has denied claims of receiving an Rs 8 crore bribe related to the film PK, calling them mere gossip. Despite controversies, PK achieved massive box office success and is now among the highest-grossing Hindi films ever.