Akshay Kumar addressed his recent films’ failure to get audiences to the theatres. His last three films—Bachchhan Paandey, Samrat Prithviraj, and now Raksha Bandhan—all did poorly at the box office. In response, Akshay confessed during the trailer premiere of his forthcoming flick Cuttputlli that he needs to comprehend the audience’s needs. “Films are not working, it is our fault, my fault. I have to make changes, understand what the audience wants and there is nobody else to be blamed for it but me.” Akshay said.
When questioned if stars are increasingly choosing OTT ventures over theatrical releases to establish a safe zone for themselves in the face of box office failure, Akshay responded, “It is not safe, that also demands people to comment if they like the trailer or not.” Nothing is safe, and there is no safety net. Even here (on OTT), people are watching, the media is watching, reviewers are watching, the public is watching, and they are providing input whether they like it or not. So, nothing beats providing a secure atmosphere; you must work hard, period.”
Akshay Kumar is one of the greatest actors, with multiple projects in the works. He had two consecutive releases. “During the pandemic, many films were developed, and while some were aired, many couldn’t be officially launched because theatres were closed, and there were numerous complications during the lockdown,” he said during the occasion. Filmein jamaa hoti rahi, hum kaam karte rahein. I have four pictures ready that we haven’t been able to release in the previous two years; if there hadn’t been a pandemic, there would have been at least a two to four-month gap between my films.”
Akshay will next be featured in Cuttputlli, which will be launched on the Disney+ Hotstar OTT platform on September 2. He also has Ram Setu and the Hindi version of Suriya’s popular Tamil film Soorarai Pottru on his resume.