- Akshay Kumar's Bhooth Bangla opened to mixed reviews but earned well at the box office
- Akshay praised RRR and Baahubali for reviving grand, larger-than-life filmmaking post-COVID
- He highlighted Animal for redefining the angry young man archetype with intense new-age cinema
Akshay Kumar's new film, Bhooth Bangla, opened to mixed reviews. However, the film has minted an impressive sum at the box office so far.
During a recent chat, Akshay Kumar talked about the evolution of the film industry after the Baahubali era. The seasoned star also shared that he wants to be part of films by new-age directors like Aditya Dhar and Sandeep Reddy Vanga after the stupendous success of Animal and Dhurandhar.
Asked if he is keen to collaborate with new-age directors like Aditya Dhar and Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Akshay Kumar told podcaster Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, "If any of these directors think that I deserve to be in their films, they can approach me. But most importantly, they should find something suitable for me, and I should also feel okay with it. I want to do an action film."
On RRR, Baahubali
Akshay then went on to explain how larger-than-life spectacles like RRR and Baahubali brought audiences back to theatres after COVID-19 subsided.
"RRR, even Baahubali for that matter, had a very different kind of making. It was larger than life—where a man single-handedly controls ten elephants, with the director focusing on the man's forearms. That is the conviction of the director, and it was beautifully done. Very well-made films. They showed us a different aspect of filmmaking—how grand and larger than life it can be*," said Akshay Kumar.
Animal And The Revival On Angry Young Man Era
Akshay shared that Animal brought back the 'angry young man' with more gusto than what Amitabh Bachchan did back in the day.
"Then came Animal with Ranbir Kapoor and Bobby Deol. I can never forget Bobby Deol's character.
"In Animal, the anger went out of limits. The film brought back the whole 'angry young man' era—with ten times more power than what Amitabh Bachchan brought back then; that was limited, Animal wasn't. Sandeep Reddy Vanga brought it back in a very different way. It was a new cinema and a new way of looking at a hero. People saw that he too is a hero who doesn't just bite but can stab ten times. Same with Kabir Singh—he is the most angry lover," Akshay added.
Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and headlined by Ranbir Kapoor, Animal was a monster hit at the box office, while a large section of the Internet slammed the film for its problematic takes on toxic masculinity and misogyny.
On Dhurandhar
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar also praised Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar as a 'well-made' film.
"The way it explores the country—it was a very well-written film. Every question was answered. It was very clear that the makers knew a lot and had gathered information from multiple sources, which they turned into a film rooted in reality. It was very nuanced and beautifully done—taking something real and expanding it into a larger-than-life cinematic experience," Akshay said about Dhurandhar.
Aditya Dhar's Lyari saga, Dhurandhar, released in two parts, scripted history as it became the highest-earning Indian franchise, contributing Rs 3,000 crore to the market.
"Cinema is evolving. If I ever get an opportunity to work in such films, I would be more than happy," Akshay concluded.
Akshay Kumar's Bhooth Bangla marks his collaboration with Priyadarshan after 14 years.