Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, who is touted as a bankable actor in the Indian film industry, has said all the stakeholders have to rethink and start all over again after the recent performance of Hindi films at the box office, which has taken a heavy toll on all them.

“We have to dismantle what you have made,” he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi on Saturday. “You have to just put it down. You have to start all over again. Think again what kind of cinema they [audience] wants to see.”

Sooryavanshi was the last commercially successful film of Kumar. The cop drama, directed by Rohit Shetty, had brought the people back to the cinema, which was running a dry run after the pandemic, and garnered over a billion Indian rupees at the box office. But, since then not many Hindi movies have performed well.

The Kashmir Files, which according to many is described as a propaganda movie, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, a sequel to Kumar starrer movie, have fared well at the box office. But, a few movies from the South often called Pan-India have been blockbusters all over the country.

“I want to start something in a completely different way and that is what I have started doing,” said Kumar, who has dropped out of the much-loved Hera Pheri movie because of the script and screenplay.

The Ram Setu actor stressed the need for giving the audience “something different” and try to talk to them in order to understand their interest. “Their choices have changed amid the pandemic rapidly.”

He took the blame that it was the filmmakers’ and actors’ fault if people were not turning up for their movies.

Earlier, he added that it used to have a speed of changing but now after the pandemic things have changed. But, Kumar expressed his determination that everyone would sit together, work hard on it and give the audience what exactly they want.

He was of the view that everybody has to contribute to this effort. “I should tell you that I have brought my prices 30-40% down, people have to understand theatres, see it’s a recession time also, we have to understand the pain of what the audience has also, they have a limited amount to spend on entertainment. You cannot spend so much. Everybody has to drop things 30-40% down. Everybody if you want your films to start going again where they must be back again.”

Kumar said: “I just hope people one day come for the entire cinema.”

Why does it pains you if I work so much?

To the critical feedback over doing so many films in a year, Kumar asked the people sitting in the hall does anyone ask another person why he/she works so much. To this, the audience laughed and clapped.

He admitted to doing four films in a year and advertisements. “I still remember when I wanted to become Bruce Lee. I used to practice for five to six hours. My neighbor used to tell my father: ’Mr Bhatia, is your son mad? Why does he practice so much? I am here today because of that,” he said as the people clapped.

The Indian actor was baffled by queries like why he wakes so early or sleeps so early or why he does so much work. He clarified that when he spoke about “40 days” was about his commitment to filmmaking.

He confirmed that he would not be doing Hera Pheri 3, the third sequel of the comedy film, as he was not happy with the script and the screenplay. Kumar apologised to his fans for not doing the film. “Hera Pheri has been a part of me. A lot of people have memories, even I have good memories about it and even I feel sad too that the film has not been made for so many years, like part 3 of the film. And like I said, we have to dismantle things, we have to start thinking in a different way.”

Kumar soon to get his Indian passport back

Kumar said that soon he would be getting his old passport back as he has got his renounce letter pertaining to the Canadian passport.

He has been criticized for holding a Canadian passport. Kumar added that the process got stuck due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Having a Canadian passport does not say that I am not less of an Indian. I am very much Indian.”