Sunday, June 21, 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

Actors Now Work In Organised Madness: Shilpa Shetty

Actors Now Work In Organised Madness: Shilpa Shetty
Actors today are professional, on top of their game and well-versed with the tricks of the trade, says actress-entrepreneur Shilpa Shetty. She also feels the film industry is now in a state of "organised madness".

Actors Now Work In Organised Madness: Shilpa Shetty

Nita Ambani Elected To International Olympic Committee , Priyanka Chopra Feels Proud

Nita Ambani Elected To International Olympic Committee , Priyanka Chopra Feels Proud
Priyanka on Thursday took to Twitter, where she also said that Indian sports needs a "passionate supporter" like her. 

Nita Ambani Elected To International Olympic Committee , Priyanka Chopra Feels Proud

B-town Celebs Wish 'Beautiful, Happiest' Genelia On Birthday

Celebrities like Abhishek Bachchan and Huma Qureshi, as well as Genelia's husband Riteish Deshmukh, took to Twitter to wish the birthday girl a stellar year.

B-town Celebs Wish 'Beautiful, Happiest' Genelia On Birthday

'Baahubali - The Conclusion' to release in April, 2017

'Baahubali - The Conclusion' to release in April, 2017
Karan, who distributed the Hindi version of the first part, took to Twitter on Friday to announce the release date.

'Baahubali - The Conclusion' to release in April, 2017

Want To Do Kalpana Chawla, Gayatri Devi Biopics: Prachi Desai

Want To Do Kalpana Chawla, Gayatri Devi Biopics: Prachi Desai
After portraying former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin's first wife Naureen in the biographical sports drama film "Azhar", actress Prachi Desai says she is keen to essay astronaut Kalpana Chawla and the late Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur on-screen.

Want To Do Kalpana Chawla, Gayatri Devi Biopics: Prachi Desai

Outsider In Bollywood Needs Patience Over Talent: Esha Gupta

Outsider In Bollywood Needs Patience Over Talent: Esha Gupta
Actress Esha Gupta, who comes from a non-film background, says an outsider in the industry needs to have patience more than talent.

Outsider In Bollywood Needs Patience Over Talent: Esha Gupta