Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn say new-gen Bollywood lacks unity, industry is ‘suffering’ because of it: ‘South cinema stands together’

Explaining how the older actors still stand by each other, Ajay said, “Be it Akshay, me, Shah Rukh, Salman, etc… We are there for each other. For instance, if films of Akshay and mine are releasing on the same day, we’d pick up the call to see what can be done. If it can’t be averted, we promote each other’s films.” Ajay even shared that the title of ‘Son of Sardar’ was with Akshay, and the latter magnanimously allowed him to use it for his film. “That is the kind of relationship we share. Apart from a few of us, the industry is divided.”

Akshay went on to point out that the Hindi film industry was seriously lacking unity and respect. “In fact, I am happy that we are discussing this right now, because the present generation of stars might watch this. We don’t have unity within us,” said Akshay. Without missing a beat, Ajay added, “Honestly, we are suffering from a lot of things as an industry, and we can fight it all out if we are united. But that is not there.” 

While the actors did not say so directly, it seemed like they were taking a jab at Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 makers. The film clashed against Singham Again in theatres on Diwali. While both films did similar business at the box office, trade pundits have pointed out that they could have made more money if they chose different release dates.

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When asked if this lack of unity and a sense of insecurity is a reason why Hindi cinema doesn’t have a lot of two hero or two heroine subjects, Akshay vehemently agreed. “Ajay and I have done films together. I’ve worked with Suniel Shetty, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, etc… Now, it doesn’t happen, and it is sad.”

On the work front, Akshay played a special role in Ajay-Rohit Shetty’s recent blockbuster Singham Again. Now, Ajay is currently working on Son of Sardaar 2, and Akshay has multiple projects lined up including Skyforce, Shankara, Jolly LLB 3, and Housefull 5.