Akshay Kumar on consecutive flops: ‘If your films don’t work its your fault, it is time for you to change’

Akshay Kumar has said that when his back-to-back films do not work, it is time to sit back, reflect and change himself. He also said that this is not a new phase for him and owned up the responsibility of the failure of his films at the box office.

The last film featuring Akshay Kumar that worked well at the box office was the fourth film in Rohit Shetty’s ‘cop universe’, Sooryavanshi . It released in 2021 and paired him opposite Katrina Kaif. The film also had cameos by Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn.

Reminded that he has given three-four flops in a row, Akshay told Aaj Tak, “This is not happening with me for the first time. In my career, I have had 16 consecutive flops at a time. There was a time when I had eight films in a row that did not work. Now, I have had three-four films in a row that did not work. The thing is that it happens due to your own fault, film ka na chalna (a film not working). The audience have changed, you need to change, you need to dismantle yourself. You have to start again because the audience require to see something else.”

Akshay added, “It is a great alarm, aapki film nahi chal rahi to galti aapki hai (If your films are not working, it is your fault). When your films flop in a row, it is an alarm for you that it is time for you to change. Mai koshish kar raha hun, wahi kar sakta hoon (I am trying to change, that is all I can do).” He also said that he’d like to tell everyone that when films don’t work, the audience must not be blamed. “Do not blame the audience or anyone else. It is my fault, 100%. Aapki film na chalna is not because of audience. It is because of what you selected. Maybe you have not given the right ingredients in the film.”

After the box office lull due to the pandemic-induced lockdown and restrictions, Akshay Kumar’s BellBottom was the first major film to release in theatres. His film with Rohit Shetty- Sooryavanshi was also the first Hindi box office hit post-pandemic. However, all his films that released in theatres since 2022 have failed to record huge numbers. Last year’s Raksha Bandhan and Samrat Prithviraj were box office duds. His latest outing, Selfiee released on February 24 and made a disappointing opening collection of below ₹3 crore on the first day.