As Akshay’s movies continue to underperform, fans call for a return of Khiladi Kumar

Entertainment industry is a tough nut to crack — just having one hit film under your belt takes years and years of hard work. But, Akshay Kumar was different, success seemed to flow his way effortlessly. Having delivered over 30 hit Bollywood films in his career so far, he was once the box office king. His hard work, routines, and rituals were legendary tales of how to be successful and disciplined in an industry full of uncertainties and controversies.

But now, his subjects seem to have grown weary of his repetitive, more miss than hit (or more anadi than khiladi) films as evidenced by the series of flops he’s delivered post the box office success of Sooryavanshi back in November 2021. From Atrangi Re, Bachchan Pandey and Samrat Prithviraj in 2021-22 to Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Sarfira in 2024, over 15 movies of his have not performed up to the mark.

Commenting on these string of failures, Akshay commented in March, “We keep on trying every type of film. I don't stick to one kind of genre. I keep on jumping from one genre to another, whether there is success or no success, that's how I have always worked. I'll keep on doing it… something that is social, something that is good, something in comedy, in action.”

But how long can fans and brands remain loyal following such a long stream of underwhelming performances? Will team Akshay pull up socks or will the legend’s legacy continue floundering until it gradually fades?

Akshay Kumar's milestone 150th film, the inspirational drama Sarfira, is proving to be a bumpy ride at the box office. Released on July 12, the film, a remake of the National Award-winning Tamil hit Soorarai Pottru, has garnered underwhelming collections in its first five days. Reports suggest that only around 100 tickets were sold for ‘Sarfira’ in Hyderabad on the first day.

Not only was this his lowest opening film in 15 years, but industry tracker Sacnilk estimates Sarfira managed only Rs 1.25 crore on Day 7 yesterday, a mere blip in its overall earnings. The film's week one total stands at a modest Rs 18.8 crore net in India. This puts it slightly ahead of Akshay's recent remake "Selfiee," but a far cry from his past box office dominance.

A string of flops

Sarfira is hardly the lone black mark on his career, his rap sheet is filled with smears of other recent setbacks like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Raksha Bandhan and Ram Setu, to name a few.

Despite being announced as his comeback, the Akshay and Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan failed to make any waves. As per his fans, this is hardly surprising considering he’s been pushing out roughly 5 movies every year and there is no newness to the roles he’s been picking.

Khiladi Kumar is known to wrap up entire film shoots in a matter of 30-60 days, and critics have long complained that one cannot expect substance when the script and performances are so rushed. The actor has been releasing remakes left, right and centre and seems to be agreeing to every script coming his way — almost in a frenzy, like he’s unaware of his star-power.

The other theory making rounds is that since Akshay was able to recover after a string of 14 consecutive flops earlier in his career, he thinks he will get over this slump by just doing what he’s been doing, too!

We did try to reach him too to get the first-person perspective, but all we heard from his team was pained silence, at least till now.

Maybe Akshay needs a breather — and a comedy or two?

Akshay’s recent antics have us wanting to give him a hug and tell him that we will continue to love him even if he chooses not to do a bazillion movies every year. In fact, we’d probably love him more if he decided to take it easy and be pickier with the scripts he does.

Yes, we’re aware that his wife Twinkle Khanna refused to have more babies with him until he started taking more serious roles (as he revealed during their interview on Koffee with Karan). But as much as we love Mrs Funny Bones, this ruse has gone on for way too long, and we want the old comedy Kumar back.

Most experts think that a brief break could do wonders for Akshay’s career, it certainly worked with his other contemporaries like Shah Rukh Khan. And after he’s back, maybe we could have more comedies like Hera Pheri — because nothing embodies the brand that is Akshay Kumar more.

His upcoming film Khel Khel Mein has also failed to generate any meaningful buzz so far a month prior to its release. However, we may need to wait and see if it manages to make a dent in this long and painful phase.

For now, Welcome 3 is also in the works (we don’t blame you for not remembering a Welcome 2, because we don’t either), giving fans some hope for a hit at the end of this year. But Nana Patekar has already said that he won’t be a part of the film because it didn’t have a story.

So, is this the end of Akshay Kumar's box office reign? Or, just a rather long blip in an unmatched career full of hits and misses? Sarfira numbers certainly don't inspire confidence. Only time will tell if the actor can make reparations and recapture his box office magic.