Akshay Kumar On Box Office: 'I'm Not Dead', Continues To Work Hard

Akshay Kumar addressed the recent underperformance of his films, dismissing the notion that he is finished in the industry. He emphasised his commitment to hard work, which has been a hallmark of his three-decade-long career.

Kumar's recent movies, including "Sarfira", "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan", "Mission Raniganj", "Selfiee", "Raksha Bandhan", "Samrat Prithviraj", and "Bachchhan Pandey" did not fare well at the box office. Despite this, he remains optimistic and unperturbed by the failures.

"Whatever happens, happens for the good, I don't think too much (about box office failure of his films)," said Kumar. He shared that he receives numerous messages from people expressing concern over his career, which he finds unnecessary.

"Four-five films of mine have not worked, and I get so many messages, saying, 'sorry yaar, fikar mat kar' (Don't worry my friend). I'm not dead! It feels like people are sending me obituary messages," Kumar remarked. He even recounted a conversation with a journalist who wrote about his potential comeback.

The 56-year-old actor reiterated his dedication to his craft. "I'm here and I'll keep working. I'll always keep working irrespective of whatever people say," he stated. Kumar described his daily routine of waking up early, exercising, and heading to work.

"I'll never snatch anything from anyone. I'll keep on working till they shoot me down (to stop me from working)," he added. His upcoming film "Khel Khel Mein" features an ensemble cast including Taapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Ammy Virk, Aditya Seal and Pragya Jaiswal.

Upcoming Film Release

The comedy-drama "Khel Khel Mein" is directed by Mudassar Aziz, known for "Happy Bhag Jayegi" and "Pati Patni Aur Woh". The film is set to release on August 15 and will compete with John Abraham's "Vedaa" and Rajkummar Rao-Shraddha Kapoor's "Stree 2".

Aziz expressed support for all the films releasing on the same date. "We are all a part of the Hindi film industry... I don't view it as us against them," he said. He praised Amar Kaushik's work on "Stree 2" and wished success for both films.

Director's Vision for Industry Success

"I want Hindi films to do well. We have to work hard enough to make our industry prosper," Aziz commented. He highlighted the importance of festive weekends in attracting audiences to cinemas.

In a gesture of camaraderie, Aziz included a shout-out to 'Stree' in "Khel Khel Mein". He hopes both films perform well at the box office for the betterment of Hindi cinema.

"Khel Khel Mein" is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Vipul D Shah, Ashwin Varde, Rajesh Bahl, Shashikant Sinha and Ajay Rai.