Sonakshi’s item song unnecessary: Paresh Rawal

Actor Paresh Rawal, who is making his debut as a producer with Oh My God, says the item number Go Govinda featuring Sonakshi Sinha was not required in the film.

Actor Paresh Rawal, who is making his debut as a producer with Oh My God, says the item number Go Govinda featuring Sonakshi Sinha was not required in the film. “No, it (the song) was not required.

"The song is unnecessary but the call is taken by the marketing team. Somewhere I agree with their experience of so many years,” Paresh said, when asked if he is in the favour of item songs.

The song — a Janmashtami number with choreographer-director Prabhu Deva — is Sonakshi’s first item song. “The song will bring in the crowds. It is an added attraction which will help in running the film. If that was not the case, why would someone spend crores on it?” he said. Earlier, Akshay Kumar, the producer of the film, had said that people could call this a marketing gimmick. “It can be a marketing gimmick. We requested Prabhu Deva and Sonakshi to do it and they agreed,” Akshay had said. Sonakshi and Akshay have teamed up thrice as a couple on screen with Rowdy Rathore, Joker and the forthcoming film Once Upon A Time in Mumbai 2.

“I have not selected Sonakshi, Akshay has taken the call. They are close as they have worked together in many films. When you are working in a team you have to go by the majority,” Paresh said. Paresh doesn’t believe in promoting movies, but says as the film’s co-producer, he is doing it. “We are marketing the film aggressively. Somewhere I fail to understand this strategy of going to reality shows, visiting cities, going to malls. This way of marketing is wrong but as a producer I am committed to doing it,” Paresh said.

“Going to malls and waving hands at the crowd will not translate into box office sales as those people are there to make fun of the stars. Even when you go to a reality show, you are made fun of, but in good spirit. Your value and dignity becomes less. Personally, I find it all unnecessary,” he said. “Promotions are happening because of paranoia and not because of a strategy or campaign. But ultimately, the film has to speak for itself. Movies such as Barfi! and Kahaani work on word-of-mouth publicity,” he added.

Oh My God is based on Umesh Shukla’s Gujarati play Kanji Viruddh Kanji and has Akshay in the lead along with Paresh.