If you look at Akshay Kumar’s career trajectory, there has been phases of hits and flops. While his early films, including his debut Saugandh (1991), failed to earn him fame, Khiladi (1992) turned him into an overnight sensation. Between 1996 and 1999, his films Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi and Sangharsh worked in his favour, several of his other films flopped, making directors and producers “ridicule” and “reject” him. Around the same time, he teamed up with filmmaker Suneel Darshan for Jaanwar, a film that marked his comeback. The success made the same directors and producers who once dismissed him eager to work with him. However, things eventually soured between Akshay and Suneel, and the two haven’t met in the past 20 years.
In a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, Suneel Darshan opened up about the time when Akshay Kumar requested to cast him in his film Jaanwar. “Akshay had been through a phase of his career when he had stopped getting movies. He had reached a point where he had about 13-14 flops. He didn’t know how to go forward. And when someone is unsuccessful, people try their best to push them away and he was going through that phase.”
It was around the same time when Suneel Darshan had a misunderstanding with Sunny Deol, for whom Jaanwar was originally scripted. “I had a script written for Sunny Deol, who let me down for a different agenda. After that, I decided I will not be working with him. After Sunny, I approached Ajay Devgn. He was very keen to do the film. The distance was just like cup and lip from him doing the film when Akshay Kumar called me. He met me. We talked and I thought ‘My God! He is such a gorgeous looking man! He was very humble, had the humility of a Punjabi boy.”
He added, “Besides all this, there was this one thing about him–his reputation of being a very disciplined actor. While these were his plus points, the biggest minus point was that he was not saleable. And to make a movie of that size with a hero who was not saleable, was a very big risk to take. It was a huge challenge.”
Exposing the reality of the glamour industry, Suneel Darshan shared people are only nice to successful actors. But, as soon as they have a downfall, the same people humiliate them. “It is very traumatic for the actors.”
“After that, Jaanwar happened. It was very well supported by my entire team, which included Karisma Kapoor who was a top star at that point of time.” The success of Jaanwar led to Suneel and Akshay signing six more films together–Ek Rishtaa, Talaash, Dosti, Mere Jeevan Saathi, and Andaaz. Suneel directed them all except Andaaz. Their collaboration too were a mix of hits and flops.
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The filmmaker recalled, “We did seven films together and co-incidentally our seventh and last film was titled Dosti. He was in this office for seven years. He operated from the same office for seven years. He would come everyday when he was not shooting. I wanted his good from day 1. It was just me who stood up for him when everybody else only rejected and ridiculed him. And this is something he told me himself. And I was the happiest when Akshay worked with the same lot of people but on his own terms. That was my biggest win.”
However, during their sixth film, Suneel felt a difference in Akshay’s energy.
“After Jaanwar’s success, he took me in out in his car. We drove to a construction place. We sat there. He said, ‘It has come to my notice that you are planning to cast a new hero for your new film. I heard you went to his father’s office. I was like, ‘Yes, I did. But that is because I share a bond with his father and he wanted to show him to me.’ Then he requested, ‘Please sir, don’t sign anybody else, it will affect my career.’ He held my hand and promised to me, ‘Suneel Ji, I promise to make 100 films with you.’ I just kept looking at him.”
He added, “Anyway, the truth is even making seven films with the same person in the same stretch was a big thing in itself. While doing our sixth film, I could feel a difference in his behaviour. And it got quite evident when we shot for our seventh film. When I sensed it, I thought to myself that it is better if I step back at a situation like this. And I moved on.”
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Suneel and Akshay, who had become close friends, suddenly grew so distant that they haven’t met each other in 20 years.
“The last time I met Akshay Kumar was back in 2005. We have never met after that. Post that, he wished me maybe once or twice for my birthday,” shared the director. He added, “I didn’t want him to have a baggage of his past. I told him, ‘I will be happy if you maintain your career.’ Even Amitabh Bachchan made several films with Prakash Mehra, but after a point things didn’t work between them. It often happens with actors.”
