Friday, July 3, 2026
ADVT 
Bollywood

Interested In More Eyeballs Than Box Office Collections: Akshay Kumar

IANS, 28 Jul, 2017 08:33 PM
  • Interested In More Eyeballs Than Box Office Collections: Akshay Kumar
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar says he is interested in reaching out to a greater number of people with his upcoming film "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" than on garnering box office business.
 
He says the distributor has applied for tax exemption for the film.
 
During the trailer launch of the film here on Thursday, when asked that after "Rustom" and "Airlift" crossed the Rs 100 crore mark at the box office, whether he was looking forward to minting more moolah, Akshay said: "I am interested in more eyeballs than the box office collection.
 
"In fact, I wish the ticket price of this film to be low so that more people can go and watch the film. Around 54 per cent people in our country have no access to toilets. So, my concern is to make people aware of the issue. They should go and watch the film rather than (we) count on the box office collection."
 
Asked about if they will make the film tax free, Akshay said: "So far there is no confirmation, but yes, the Viacom18 people (the distributors of the film) applied for tax exemption. Let's see what happens."
 
 
"Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" which stresses on the importance of sanitation.
 
Once known as Bollywood's action star, Akshay has of late moved into movies with social relevance. But he says he doesn't believe in having any image.
 
"I don't want to have any kind of image. I just want to keep on trying everything. When I entered the industry, people called me an action hero. 
 
"Then, I tried other things, they called me comedian and romantic hero. Then I did villain roles, now people are saying that I am doing social films. I just don't want to have an image.
 
"I just want to keep on trying different things," said Akshay, who received a National Award for his performance in "Rustom".
 
Akshay also pointed out that though his film "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" is set in the rural milieu, it is more relevant for the urban crowd than rural people.
 
 
"The issue of open defecation is not just a rural (village) problem. It is a huge problem in big cities too and it is more dangerous in big cities rather than villages, because we live in a concrete jungle, so germs and bacteria spread faster here.
 
"Don't think for a moment that this movie is for villages. It is for urban people too because we are in more danger than them."
 
The film also stars Bhumi Pednekar and Anupam Kher. It is releasing on August 11.

MORE Bollywood ARTICLES

Akshay Kumar More Successful Actor Than Me: John Abraham

Actor John Abraham, who starred with Akshay Kumar in films like “Garam Masala”, “Housefull 2” and “Desi Boyz”, says the actor is a “self-made man” in Bollywood and is a “much more successful actor” than him.

Akshay Kumar More Successful Actor Than Me: John Abraham

Looks Have Become Important To Everybody: Arjun Kapoor

Actor Arjun Kapoor, who is gearing up for the promotion of his film "Ki and Ka", says today looks have become important to everybody.

Looks Have Become Important To Everybody: Arjun Kapoor

SRK's 'Jabra Fan' Recorded In Arabic

SRK's 'Jabra Fan' Recorded In Arabic
Titled as "Jabara fan", Arabic version is sung by Abdelfettah Grini, a Moroccan singer.

SRK's 'Jabra Fan' Recorded In Arabic

Blame The Weather, Not Me, Says Shafqat Amanat Ali For His ‘Poor Show’ At Eden Gardens

Blame The Weather, Not Me, Says Shafqat Amanat Ali For His ‘Poor Show’ At Eden Gardens
He said that while he knew there was "some technical problem, at that time the only thing I thought was that the national anthem shouldn't stop in between as it would have looked odd"

Blame The Weather, Not Me, Says Shafqat Amanat Ali For His ‘Poor Show’ At Eden Gardens

Third Part Of 'Tanu Weds Manu' Will Happen: Deepak Dobriyal

Actor Deepak Dobriyal says there are talks for the third instalment for the "Tanu Weds Manu" franchise.

Third Part Of 'Tanu Weds Manu' Will Happen: Deepak Dobriyal

Gwen Stefani Was Never Comfortable Being A 'Sex Symbol'

The “Voice” star Gwen Stefani has admitted she was never comfortable being a "sex symbol".

Gwen Stefani Was Never Comfortable Being A 'Sex Symbol'