'Will keep making social issue-based films'

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who had a string of flops recently, wants to continue working on social issue-based films that can impact society.

- Gaurav Laghate

In an interview, the 55-year-old actor said that the Indian film industry is going through a transformation and everything is moving to a hybrid mode. He claimed that, unlike what the industry says about him charging exorbitant fees upfront, he has started working on profit-sharing—backend—deals. “If Selfiee has flopped, I get less money. Rakshabandhan has not lost money for the producers. I would have earned more if those films had worked," he said. Kumar added that he can always do commercial films and sequels to earn more money. Edited excerpts:

You have had five back-to-back flops. Is it because audiences have changed or due to the wrong selection of movies?

Yes, some of my recent films haven’t worked at the box office, and there are many reasons for it. A lot has changed post covid. Most people want to watch larger-than-life epic films in theatres, and others are ready to wait a month or two for films to come on OTT or TV.

You have to understand that covid was like a massive earthquake, and it’s about time when the change has come. My industry is learning a lot now, and the way I see it, it will take maybe the end of 2024 for the stability to come in when everybody realizes what kind of films to make and what not to make.

Many a time, actors’ fees have been questioned. The buzz is that you ask for a hefty upfront fee—close to ₹127 crore—for a film. Do you think this is justified?