What Went Wrong With Akshay Kumar’s Career?

With Akshay Kumar’s films flopping in a row, is it the end of the road for the actor?

Akshaye Rathi a well-known film exhibitor of Maharashtra says , “A lot of people are talking about how there’s an overload of Akshay Kumar films. I don’t think the frequency of films is a problem. I think the amount of time that’s dedicated to them and the focus on quality is where the problem is.The selection of scripts, the choices, you know, is where things are going wrong. Anybody who says that Akshay Kumar’s stardom has eroded is probably living in a fool’s paradise for the simple reason that this is stardom that’s been built over decades. And that doesn’t erode like that.What’s not working is the films that he’s a part of. And I think there he needs to take cognizance of the fact that the change of people’s taste, their choices for what they choose to go to cinemas for has changed. And I think some bit of novelty is really required.I think most people are done with Akshay Kumar being the saviour of small town India because whether it’s Toilet Ek Prem Katha, Padman, Sarfira and so many other films that have come which are in the same genre in the same space. Of course subjects are changing but the novelty of storytelling is what really needs to kick in.”

Producer and trade analysts Girish Johar says, “Sarfira, got everything wrong from the start go…The film is a remake of a superhit regional film, the original version did solid business in theatres down South and later it was released on OTT, so due to its WOM(word of mouth) most of the audiences saw it there too. Now, when it was released in Hindi, the dubbed Hindi version also released on Youtube.Having said that the damage was already done till then. Further the film had a metro urban target as its audiences ( who had by the way already seen on OTT) and whereas there marketing went haywire as it was being promoted as “Mass Commercial Entertainer”. Further, no music, less promotions added to its woes. Only the silver lining was Akshay Kumar’s sincere performance. Overall, I would term it as a bad misfire from Akshay Kumar in the choice of film to be done for a theatrical Hindi market. Quite confident with Khel Khel Mein up next, all this will whither away.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan is confident Akshay will ride the waves. “Akshay Kumar is a very experienced star who has faced ups and downs in his career before and he has always bounced back stronger. Right now, the situation is confusing. Some people think there’s too much Akshay in movies. However, even before the lockdown, he used to release four films a year and each one made around Rs. 125-150-200 crores. It’s hard to know what people expect from him. He’s doing all kinds of films, from big commercial hits to more offbeat movies like Sarfira. In the past, his offbeat films like Baby, Padman, Airlift, Mission Mangal and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha were successful. I think he should follow Shah Rukh Khan’s example. SRK planned his last three films carefully. Two of them were massive hits, which worked well for him. Similarly, Akshay should take a break to figure out how to make a strong comeback. Even one big hit would put him back on top. He needs to make movies that appeal to a wide audience. Without connecting with the masses, box office success is hard. He should work with directors known for making popular films. Although Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was aimed at mass audience, it didn’t do well due to issues with the script and execution. So, he should pick the right kind of film. Additionally, he should pay more attention to the music in his movies. Each film should have at least one catchy song with a signature dance move that people will love. The music in his recent movies hasn’t been very memorable.

Adds Amod Mehra, “Akshay should reduce his price, reduce the number of his films and reduce the non-commercial films.’