Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
After the lukewarm Mr and Mrs Khiladi in 1997, Akshay Kumar went through a tough phase as he delivered several consecutive flops at the box office. Around this time, the actor had collaborated with filmmaker-producer-writer Suneel Darshan on Jaanwar. However, due to his series of flops, no distributor wanted to be associated with him. In a recent interview, Suneel Darshan recalled the time when Akshay Kumar came crying to him at his office because he had been disrespected by a rival producer.
In an interview with Friday Talkies, the Andaaz producer recalled making Jaanwar. He said, “We cast Akshay Kumar, Karisma Kapoor, and Shilpa Shetty in Jaanwar. We shot the film for about 110 days. The film had major action and I had the challenge to not present Akshay Kumar as himself but the character of my film, Babu Lohar. It was a very difficult task. But, I had to do it. I had to make him cry, feel, and express through his eyes.”
Suneel recalled, how just days before Jaanwar, another film of the Akshay’s had hit the theatres, but no marketing had been done for it. He shared, “Akshay Kumar came to meet me at my office. During those days, he would come every day to meet me. He was crying. He shared, ‘I just met with the producer of my film, and asked him why he didn’t put any banners, and he said, tumhari aukaat nahi hai ki billboard lagaya jaye.’ That day was the first time I felt nervous. But, I controlled my emotions and thought of doing something. I booked the biggest site in Juhu and hired the best designers in the business, Rahul Nanda and Himanshu Nanda, and told them to make a banner with just Akshay Kumar and none of the leading ladies.”
Even though it flopped in Mumbai, the film went on to become a huge hit in Bihar, especially. The movie ran for over 100 days in at least 25 centers. Jaanwar gained popularity in selective places. As the film had received a mixed response, disappointed Akshay Kumar believed Suneel was signing Hrithik Roshan for his next film.
Suneel recalled, “After Jaanwar’s success, Akshay came to me. He said, ‘I heard you are making a film with Hrithik Roshan’. I was like, ‘Where did you hear that?’ He said, ‘I heard you met Rakesh Roshan in his office the other day’. I said, ‘I did meet him because he called me to show some songs of his son.’ He was like, ‘oh, okay’. Then he held my hand and asked me to promise him that I will make 100 films with him.”
He added, “He then invited me to his house for dinner. During that, he asked me to narrate the story of the film I would make next with him. I narrated the story of Ek Rishtaa to him. While I sat on a sofa, he sat on the floor, and listened to the story. He had tears in his eyes after I completed the story.”
After Jaanwar, Suneel and Akshay collaborated on films Ek Rishtaa (2001), Talaash: The Hunt Begins (2003), Dosti: Friends Forever (2005), Mere Jeevan Saathi (2006), where Suneel directed the films. He also backed Akshay Kumar’s Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya (2002), and Andaaz (2003) as producer.
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
