Akshay Kumar was concerned about his ‘gadbad’ appearance in Action Replayy, Vipul Shah admits audience avoided film because of it

Vipul Shah took full responsibility for the failure of his 2010 film Action Replayy, and revealed that Akshay Kumar tried to correct one of his big creative decisions.

Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a still from Action Replayy.

Actor Akshay Kumar was fresh off the success of Housefull when his looks from the soon-to-release film Action Replayy were first shared publicly. That was the beginning of audiences’ growing disconnect with the film, according to Action Replayy director Vipul Amrutlal Shah. In an interview with Vaad, Vipul said that while Akshay’s look was being devised, the actor raised concerns about Vipul’s vision for his character Kishen Kumar Chopra.

The filmmaker admitted that not paying attention to the actor’s advice did cost him dearly. He said in Hindi, “I have directed only one film with Akshay, Action Replayy, which didn’t work. I realised that as a director, I didn’t know how to direct a period film properly. This was my fault and no one else’s. It was my failure as a director.” Another reason for the film’s failure at the box office, according to the director, was Akshay’s look in the film. Vipul said that the audience couldn’t digest a good-looking man like Akshay with buck-teeth.

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“Ek to sabse pehle usme Akshay ki look bohot gadbad thi aur Akshay ne mujhe toka tha, ki ‘Vipul ye tu ab experiment ko thoda extreme kar raha hai, ye mat kar‘ (Firstly, Akshay’s look in the film was messed up and Akshay had even expressed his concerns and said, ‘Vipul now you are taking the experiment to the extreme)’,” he said.

Vipul added, “But I said, let’s do it. Akshay always supports the director’s vision. So I have to accept the blame that despite him raising his concerns with me, I insisted on that look. Firstly, because of that look, people didn’t come to the theatres, thinking that we’ve given such a good-looking actor strange teeth and an odd hairdo. The film didn’t open.”

Also Read | Akshay dons Sunil Dutt’s looks for Action Replayy

The film’s reputation changed when it was released on television. “When this film went on satellite, it became Akshay’s highest-rated film of that time. This happens sometimes. People get disconnected with the smallest of things. The day you release the first unit, you don’t know what the audience will connect with and what they won’t… so here the audience got disconnected with Akshay’s look,” said Vipul

Action Replayy was set in the 1970s and also starred Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aditya Roy Kapoor. The film’s music became popular, but it proved to be a critical and commercial dud.

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