Akshay Kumar recalls how he bought his flat by extending his role in Jaani Dushman: ‘I was killed, then they put me in coma’

Akshay continued, “I came to know that one of the actors’ dates wasn’t available, so I said, ‘Paaji, main aa jaun vapas?’ (Brother, can I come back?).” However, the director initially refused, saying, “Oh, tu toh marr gaya hai” (But you’re already dead).

But then came the twist. Akshay shared how the filmmaker reconsidered his decision. “After five minutes, he thought about it and said, ‘Akshay, baat sun. Tereko main coma mein kar deta hoon, tu vapas aa jaa’ (Listen, Akshay. I’ll put you in a coma. You can come back).”

Laughing about the scenario, Akshay added, “And if you watch the film, you’ll see my character is suddenly found in a coma—he’s not dead. Then I wake up and fight again. So, for five more days, I shot fight sequences, and I got paid for those five extra days. That’s how my role in Jaani Dushman became much bigger.”

Jaani Dushman was Rajkumar Kohli’s final directorial venture and featured a massive ensemble cast, including Sunny Deol, Sonu Nigam, Suniel Shetty, Aftab Shivdasani, Arshad Warsi, Aditya Pancholi, Rambha, Sharad Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, and Armaan Kohli. Despite its star-studded lineup, the film failed at the box office and was heavily criticized by reviewers.