Reasons Behind Akshay Kumar Becoming a Challenge for Producers

Akshay Kumar has consistently delivered hit films and kept his audience entertained over the years. However, despite his success, the "Khiladi" actor has experienced phases where his films flopped, leading to strained relationships with producers who even avoided promoting his movies with posters and hoardings. Surprising, isn’t it?

In the ’90s, Akshay starred in several films that failed at the box office, causing significant financial losses for producers. This led many to hesitate before casting him in their projects.

In an interview with RJ Siddharth Kanan, producer Suneel Darshan shared an incident from this challenging period. Akshay, facing a difficult career phase, approached Suneel just two months before the release of Jaanwar. He expressed his struggles, mentioning that the producer of his latest film had not put up any posters or hoardings for it.

When Suneel Darshan asked what the producers had told him, Akshay replied, “They said I’m not worth putting up posters and hoardings for.”

Moved by Akshay’s situation, Suneel decided to invest in a large billboard hoarding for Jaanwar that focused solely on Akshay. “I said, don’t include the two heroines, just put Akshay Kumar. What others saw as a liability, I saw as an asset,” Suneel recalled.

Jaanwar turned out to be a superhit, marking a significant comeback for Akshay Kumar.

For many years, Akshay Kumar remained one of Bollywood’s leading stars, delivering numerous blockbusters. However, he struggled with a series of flops and faced challenges in maintaining his momentum. He took on multiple projects simultaneously and released them in quick succession, commanding a remuneration of over 100 crores.

Recently, Akshay starred in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, which flopped at the box office despite its large budget. Now, with his latest film, Sarfira (a remake of Suriya’s Soorarai Pottru/Aakasam Nee Haddu Raa), set to release tomorrow, the advance bookings have been disappointing, not even reaching 2 crores in India. These poor bookings indicate a potentially disastrous outcome.

Even with positive word of mouth, it’s unlikely to draw significant audiences to theaters, and the film may struggle to gross 20 crores in India. Considering his 100 crore remuneration, this is a substantial loss. Akshay’s inability to secure even a 10 crore opening gross is indeed turning him into a producer’s nightmare. A major comeback is essential for him to reclaim his market standing in the future.