Suneel Darshan, a filmmaker who had a long and successful professional relationship with actor Akshay Kumar in the 1990s, recalled how the actor dropped out of his production Barsaat at the last minute after his wife, Twinkle Khanna, allegedly forbade him from working with Priyanka Chopra. Suneel claimed that he was left in the lurch after Akshay dropped out of the project, which he went on to produce with Bobby Deol instead.
Suneel said in an interview with Bollywood Hungama that actors should not let their personal lives interfere with their work and that they should be prepared for occupational hazards. He also suggested that Twinkle was misinformed and that she should not have taken the situation as’seriously’ as she did.
“Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra were a very good pair, very similar in terms of their personal traits,” he said, recalling how they had shot a song for Barsaat together and were about to begin filming when Akshay backed out. “They had incredible chemistry.” I thought the song was lovely; no vulgarity, no obscenity, and very sensual. Then Priyanka went on a world tour, and when she returned… I’m not sure what happened in between…”
He stated that Akshay approached him and that they met on the sets of his film Waqt, where Akshay informed him that he was having scheduling issues. “By then, I had also learned of the other issues that had arisen between him and his wife,” Suneel continued. I was told she had issues with Priyanka… I believe the profession has its own set of risks. Sometimes the proximity, sometimes the individual’s own lifestyles, all of these things get in the way, and the media exaggerates it, not realising how much loss a filmmaker could suffer as a result…”
Coming from people who have worked in the film industry, they have seen the risks and know what happens. Personally, I believe the wife was incorrectly insinuated because she herself was an actress. She’s worked with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, and Ajay Devgn… If she’s put in so much effort, she should realise that people shouldn’t take her work so seriously.”
He stated that while actors backing out of projects is common in the film industry, he did not expect Akshay to back out, especially after developing the relationship that they did. “I’m not claiming anything from him because I believe it’s very cheap to claim, but I thought he owed a certain sense of responsibility…” He stated that Priyanka never mentioned it to him, and that Akshay was fine with working with him again on his next film, Dosti, but that was the end of their professional and personal journey together.
Despite a difficult year, Akshay Kumar is one of the highest-paid actors in the country. Priyanka, on the other hand, has made a name for herself in Hollywood.
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