Akshay Kumar accepts blame for dull performances of his recent films

NEW DELHI (Agencies): Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is shouldering the blame for the poor run of his recent films at the box office.

Kumar, whose last few films such as Bachchhan Paandey, Samrat Prithviraj and Raksha Bandhan failed to draw in the expected crowds at cinemas, said he needs to “dismantle” the way he chooses scripts.

“Films are not working, it is our fault, my fault. I have to make the changes, understand what the audience wants. I want to dismantle the way I think and what kind of films I should do. Nobody should be blamed for it but me,” Kumar said at the trailer launch for his upcoming film Cuttputlli in Mumbai.

The movie, directed by Bell Bottom director Ranjit M Tewari, will release on Disney+ Hotstar September 2.

Kumar said going for a direct-to-digital release is not a “safety net” to protect movies from a possible box office failure.

“OTT is not a safe space. It also requires people to say ‘we like the film’ or ‘we don’t’. It’s not a safety net. Here also the film releases, and the media, people, critics, all of them watch it. One has to work hard and that’s it,” he added.

Cuttputlli also stars Rakul Preet Singh, Sargun Mehta and Chandrachur Singh in pivotal roles.

Cuttputlli is inspired by the 2018 Tamil movie Ratsasan.

The story focuses on a cop (Kumar) investigating the string of murders of schoolgirls in the hill town of Kasauli.

Tewari said he had a great time directing a “fabulous script” like Cuttputlli.

“It’s very compelling and engaging. It was difficult to follow the script during the pandemic. We started shooting during the second wave. At the end, it all came together and the entire team worked hard. It was a good journey,” he said.

Kumar said he jumped at the opportunity of starring in the movie as serial killer dramas are a rarity in Bollywood.

“Not many people make movies on serial killers. It’s a different kind of genre and I’ve also never done a thriller in my life where I have to catch a serial killer. I started my career with a thriller Khiladi, but this is completely different from that also. The interesting part is it is not only about physicality, but also about the mind,” he added.