Just how many films is Akshay Kumar going to do every year?
He has just released Laxmii. Sooryavanshi is ready for release.
Now comes the announcement on Diwali day of Ram Setu, a drama based on the theory of unity and brotherhood, to be directed by Abhishek Sharma.
Interestingly, both Akshay and Abhishek had releases this Diwali.
While Akshay's Laxmii opened to mixed responses, Sharma's Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is the first Hindi film to open in theatres after the Covid lockdown.
Sharma directed Tere Bin Laden and Shaukeens before he hit the bigtime with John Abraham's Parmanu.
Ram Setu has Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, who is currently directing Akshay in the historical Prithviraj Chauhan, as a creative consultant.
With Laxmii, which streams on Disney + HotStar, getting an average vote of 2.4/10 with more than 12,000 1-star ratings on IMDb, the film is one of Akshay's most disliked films.
A trade expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells Subhash K Jha that Taish featuring no A-lister is getting a much bigger response than Laxmii.
"Laxmii is one of Akshay's worst rated films in his entire career," he adds.
An actor from Laxmii said plans for a sequel have been dropped. "If you see the film, Akshay clearly indicates a sequel," the actor tells Subhash.
"But after the way Laxmii bombed all plans of carrying the story forward have been scrapped."
Disney-Hotstar says Laxmii is its biggest opener ever. And Akshay has come forward to defend the film.
'I know a lot of critics don't like my films,' the superstar said, 'and I understand it. But my focus is on my audience. I am told it (Laxmii is the biggest opening of my career."
'The film achieves something pivotal. Having a transgender protagonist normalises and reinforces the rights of the LGBTQ community,' he added.
'Be it with PadMan or Toilet: Ek Prem Katha or or Mission Mangal, the idea is to do more than just entertain or deliver a box-office success. I want to make a difference.'
