Paresh Rawal is known not just for his acting prowess but also for speaking his mind. Never one to shy away from expressing his opinions, the actor recently weighed in on the buzz surrounding Amitabh Bachchan’s cryptic X post, in which the veteran star wrote, “Wanted to say something, but thought – NO!! Don’t say it.” Reacting to the post, Paresh said he believes fear is what is stopping Amitabh Bachchan from speaking his mind.Paresh Rawal on Amitabh Bachchan’s silenceSpeaking to Vickey Lalwani, Rawal said: “People are afraid. They fear harassment from those in authority. Earlier, some people spoke unapologetically. If you notice, the number of such people has also reduced over time.” He then reflected on Bachchan’s own political experience. “What will he do at this age? He has seen how people tore him apart after the VP Singh episode. If power comes after you, it can ruin your life. We don’t know everything he went through. He suffered a lot. Amitabh is not someone who believes in conflict. He prefers peace. He folds his hands and ends the argument there itself. Many mistake that for weakness. He doesn’t like fights, toxicity or negativity around him.”Talking in the same interview, Paresh Rawal also recalled the time he almost starred alongside Amitabh Bachchan in 102 Not Out, only to be dropped from the film at the last minute.When Paresh was removed from Amitabh Bachchan’s film‘Politics never reduced my work’Speaking to Vickey Lalwani, Rawal said, “Politics never really played a role in the reduced number of films I did. The number reduced because I refused to do them. I am using the word ‘refuse’ and not ‘reject’. Many times, I simply didn’t find merit in the scripts or the stories.” He added, “Even while being a politician, I had enough time to do films. Parliament functions for around 110 days a year. I still had about 265 days to myself. I had even reduced my theatre shows.”‘Someone refused to work with me’Rawal then recalled how he unexpectedly exited 102 Not Out. “In 102 Not Out, I was supposed to play the role that Rishi Kapoor eventually did. I was associated with the project for two to three years. Then suddenly, I was out. I asked Umesh what happened, and he told me someone had refused to work with me. He never named that person. I still don’t know exactly why I was removed, but I can tell you it had nothing to do with my political stint.”When asked whether he tried to find out who had objected, Rawal replied, “I didn’t pursue it because Umesh is a friend. I asked him once, understood that there were issues, and didn’t want to embarrass him. I could have dug out the truth. I was the victim in that situation. I know who wanted me out, but I don’t want to say it publicly. I even confronted that person, but they denied knowing anything about it. I let it go. Whenever I have a problem with someone, I prefer calling them directly instead of speculating.”Story continues below this adWhat was the VP Singh controversy involving Amitabh Bachchan?At the peak of his acting career, Amitabh Bachchan entered politics in 1984 at the request of his close friend, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Contesting on a Congress ticket, he won the Allahabad Lok Sabha seat by defeating veteran politician Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna by a massive margin. Around the same time, Vishwanath Pratap (VP) Singh became Finance Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government. During his tenure, he launched a high-profile crackdown on tax evasion and expanded investigations by the Enforcement Directorate into suspected violations of foreign exchange laws.ALSO READ | Sohail Khan reveals he wanted to name son Ram Khan; Seema Sajdeh had other plansGiven Amitabh Bachchan’s close friendship with the Gandhi family, media attention also turned towards the Bachchan family during this period. Allegations surfaced regarding possible foreign exchange violations, although no charges were ultimately proven against the actor.The controversy intensified after the Bofors scandal broke in 1987. Around the same period, a Swedish newspaper alleged that Amitabh Bachchan and his brother Ajitabh Bachchan held secret Swiss bank accounts linked to alleged kickbacks in the Bofors deal. The Bachchan brothers consistently denied the allegations.Story continues below this adVP Singh later resigned from the Congress government, alleging corruption in the Bofors deal and emerging as Rajiv Gandhi’s principal political rival. Amitabh Bachchan’s name frequently surfaced in the political discourse surrounding the controversy, despite his repeated denials. Facing mounting political scrutiny and media attention, Bachchan resigned from Parliament in 1987 and announced his exit from politics. However, the scrutiny didn’t end.In 1988, VP Singh formed the Janata Dal and went on to win the Allahabad by-election from the seat vacated by Bachchan, cementing his position as the face of the anti-Congress movement.After becoming Prime Minister in 1989, Singh’s government continued investigations into the Bofors affair and related financial matters. Amitabh and Ajitabh Bachchan remained under scrutiny for years in connection with Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) and tax-related investigations. However, they consistently denied any wrongdoing, and over time, the allegations against them were not substantiated. Various investigations and court proceedings ultimately did not establish their involvement in the alleged kickback scandal. In 2012, the actor was officially cleared of involvement in the scandal.