Akshay Kumar’s career has seen its share of highs and lows, and during the 1990s, he faced a particularly challenging phase when some of his films stalled mid-production due to a series of box office failures. In a recent conversation, filmmaker Suneel Darshan revealed that during this period, many in the industry were hesitant to work with Akshay. It was at this time that Suneel decided to take a chance on him with the film Jaanwar.
In an interview with Friday Talkies, Suneel mentioned that Akshay’s punctuality made a strong impression on him, but there was another side to consider. “There was a problem. He had had many flops during that time and many of his prominent films had been halted midway. Like Hera Pheri, the film was shot 90 percent and then it was blocked. Dhadkan, four reels were made but it was also halted,” he shared.
Despite the setbacks, Suneel felt “there was something special” about Akshay. He recalled, “I signed Akshay and I told him that work will only happen on my terms.” Suneel then chose Karisma Kapoor for the project, but had to be upfront with her about Akshay being the male lead. “I told Karisma that there will be two problems. One is that I won’t be able to pay you as much money as you get from others. And the second thing is that Akshay is the hero. She said no problem, you company is our company. Her mom Babita also said that we would love to keep working with you,” he reminisced.
At that time, Suneel described Akshay’s career as being in a “bad condition” with “no distributor wanting to touch his film.” Despite the lack of support within the industry, Suneel believed in Akshay’s potential and decided to put everything on the line for him. He recounted a moment when Akshay, after another box office disappointment, confided in him about a hurtful experience with a producer. “Akshay came to me and he almost had tears in his eyes. He told me that he had asked another producer why they hadn’t put up a banner of his film and they told him ‘tumhari aukkaat nahi hai ki tumhari film ka banner lagaya jaaye.’ I got nervous looking at his nervous face. I got the biggest banner in Juhu with just Akshay’s face on it,” Suneel revealed, adding, “The man who was a liability for everyone, I knew he would be my asset.”
Suneel shared that Jaanwar found success in certain regions, and recounted a memorable moment from a party: “Yash Johar told me that if someone can make Lalu Prasad Yadav lose in Bihar then it’s me. Jaanwar was the biggest blockbuster in Bihar’s history and in 25 centers, the film worked for 100 days.” The movie also featured Shilpa Shetty alongside Akshay.
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