Kept on working hard when I had 16 flops in a row, will still do that: Akshay Kumar

Mumbai, Mar 26 (PTI) Superstar Akshay Kumar on Tuesday said he hopes his upcoming film "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" will end his dry spell at the box office, something he has often witnessed in his career of over three decades.

Most of Akshay's last releases, including "Samrat Prithviraj", "Raksha Bandhan", and "Mission Raniganj", haven't done well at the ticket window. "OMG 2", which featured the actor in a pivotal role, was an exception.

Akshay said he soldiered on despite giving 16 flops in a row at one point of time and he will continue to do so.

"Whether it was 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha', 'Airlift', 'Rustom', or many other films that I have done... Sometimes there is success, sometimes it's not. It is not that I have not seen (this phase before). There was a time when I had 16 consecutive flops.

"But I stood there and kept on doing work. I'll still do that. This ('Bade Miyan Chote Miyan') is one film for which we all have done a lot of hard work. Now, we are going to see the results. Keeping our fingers crossed, we hope that this is going to bring good luck to all of us," the actor told reporters here.

He was speaking at the trailer launch of "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan". The event was also attended by co-stars Tiger Shroff, Manushi Chhillar, Alaya F, Prithviraj Sukumaran and director Ali Abbas Zafar.

"Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" will see Akshay and Tiger perform death-defying stunts as they play two elite soldiers who embark on a mission to recover a stolen AI weapon from the antagonist, played by Sukumaran.

Akshay, who cemented his position as an action star in the 1990s, said the most dangerous stunt he ever pulled off for a film was when he jumped to catch a moving airplane on the runway, followed by another jump on to a hot air balloon to save the female lead.

"It was madness. I was crazy. Thank god I was safe because there was a 70 per cent chance that I wouldn't survive. It was that difficult, I would never do it again now. I'm told to never do those things again.

"I have become a bit (rational). Now I think ten times before attempting something like this. Safety has become the main concern, there is insurance. My job at the moment is to keep myself healthy," added the 56-year-old superstar.

Unlike Akshay, Tiger said he doesn't think much before attempting stunts.

"We have got such an amazing team, from the director, producers to stunt director, who make the environment pretty safe for us. We have done some difficult stunts in this film but we got time to prep and rehearse. So, it was just second nature. We think after doing stunts," he said The 34-year-old said working with Akshay was "one the best experiences of my life".

"I have idolised Akshay sir from my childhood. The reason why I am an action hero today is because of this man right here," he said.

Ali, known for "Tiger Zinda Hai" and "Sultan", said the biggest challenge with a multi-starrer like "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" was to justify the stardom of every star in the film.

"It is important that you write a script and character which justify three superstars and the two girls who are equally important in the films. Hindi cinema is known for celebrating stars. Some time back when content was going forward, I think we stopped doing that," the director said.

Sukumaran, 41, said "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" has the potential to be turned into a franchise.

"When Ali narrated the story to me. I was completely following the two hero tracks. It was very entertaining. It has got everything to be a blockbuster franchise. The good thing about the franchise is much like James Bond or 'Mission: Impossible' films (where) usually the story of the film is villain and then the heroes come and save the world," said the actor, who is also awaiting the release of his Malayalam film "Aadujeevitham".

Former Miss World Chhillar, who worked with Akshay in her debut film "Samrat Prithviraj", called the actor a "guiding force" in her career.

"He has a sense of protectiveness where he always gives me advice. He is someone I always call, asking 'How do I do this or how do I attempt that?' In action, he is the OG," said the 26-year-old.

"I was excited to be part of the project. When I came to know that I will be doing a lot of action, something which I have not done before, so I had to start from scratch. The fact that I will be sharing screen space with two of the biggest action heroes was nerve wracking," she added.

Produced by Pooja Entertainment in association with AAZ, "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" will hit the screens on the occasion of Eid on April 10. PTI COR RDS RDS RB RB