EXCLUSIVE: Suneel Darshan Reveals Big Filmmakers Treated Akshay Kumar Like ‘Kachra’; ADMITS, “Sab Usse Ridicule Karte The”

Akshay Kumar and Suneel Darshan have worked on 7 films, such as Andaaz, Talaash, and Dosti, to name a few. This pair has given several hit films together; however, after 2005, their 7th film was Dosti, post which they never collaborated on any films. While promoting his upcoming film Andaaz 2, in an exclusive chat with Bollywood Bubble, the director opened up on the actor’s dipping acting career after 14 flop films. Darshan reflected on how he agreed on casting Akshay in Jaanwar.

Suneel Darshan On Akshay Kumar’s Back-To-Back Flop

When asked about casting Akshay Kumar in Jaanwar, Suneel Darshan shared, “Well, Akshay had been through a phase in his career, and at that point, he had stopped getting movies, because the good movies weren’t coming, and even the lesser ones, you know… it reached a point. His career had hit a low with those 13–14 flops that he had. Yes, you know, it really hit, and he didn’t know how to move forward with it. Aur jo kaam nakaam hota hai na, usse log poori josh aur taqat se girane mein lag jaate hain. He was in that phase. And I had a script for Sunny Deol, who had let me down due to a different agenda, so I decided I should not be working with him.”

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He continued, “After that, there was Ajay Devgn. He was very keen to do the film. And we, Akshay and I, spoke, but you know, taqdeer is something else. Between the cup and the lip, jo fark hota hai na, bas utni si hi doori hoti hai. Akshay called me, he came, and we talked. And I said, ‘My God, this is such a handsome, gorgeous-looking boy!’ He was a very humble Punjabi boy, jaise humare humility wale boys hote hain. And besides that, there was one more thing about him: he had the reputation of being a very disciplined person. I said the plus points. But the biggest minus factor was that he was not saleable.”

Suneel On Making Jaanwar

The Barsaat director said, “And to make a movie of that size, fully loaded, with a hero who’s not saleable, was a very big risk to take. It’s the same today, also. But at that time, it was a huge challenge. People would run you down. There was a time when people would actually misbehave. Sometimes on the streets, you know, people would misbehave. There are phases actors go through… when they’re at the top, they often have their noses in the air, not saying Akshay did, but when they fall, it becomes a very humiliating experience for them. It’s traumatic, unfortunately, but that’s how it was. And Jaanwar happened. It was a huge challenge making that film, but I was very well supported by my entire team, which included Karisma Kapoor, who was the top star at that point.”

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Suneel Darshan Says Big Filmmakers Ridiculed Akshay Kumar

The Barsaat director said, “Dekhiye, saatvi film ka naam Dosti tha. Shayad usmein hamara jo relationship tha, jo bahut hi strong bond tha, woh reflect hota hai. Saat saal tak woh is office mein raha. Saat saal yahin se operate karta tha. Subah aa jaata tha jab bhi woh shooting nahi karta tha. Aur ek aisa connection tha… matlab relationship itna gehra tha. Success ko handle karna bhi kabhi-kabhi bahut difficult hota hai. Main toh first day se hi uska bhala hi chahta tha.”

Continuing, he said, “So I just felt, I guess uss waqt sirf main hi tha jo uske saath tha, kyunki baaki sab toh usse reject ya ridicule hi karte the. Usne khud mujhe yeh baat boli thi, ‘Main bade-bade filmmakers ke naam nahi lunga, kyunki it’ll be bad for you. Yeh log mujhe ridicule karte hain… mujhe ‘kachra’ bolte hain, you know, like that.’ That was the kind of treatment he got. But ek din mujhe bahut khushi hui jab unhi saare logon ke saath Akshay Kumar ne apni sharton par kaam kiya. Woh meri jeet thi.”

Akshay’s Acting Career Downfall

Akshay Kumar’s career has seen dramatic highs and lows, marked by a stretch of 14 consecutive box office flops in the late 1990s—a phase he later described as the lowest point in his journey. This difficult run ended with the success of Jaanwar (1999), directed by Suneel Darshan. Years later, following the 2020 pandemic, Kumar again faced a series of underperforming films, though he has consistently demonstrated resilience in bouncing back.

Watch The Full Interview

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Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Suneel Darshan Claims Similarities Between Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, Akshay Kumar’s Jaanwar; Says, “Agar Uska Producer Usse Acknowledge Kar Leta…”