Samrat Prithviraj director reveals Akshay Kumar had tears in his eyes after film’s failure, had creative differences with Aditya Chopra | Hindi Movie News – Times of India

Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi recently shed light on the unexpected failure of his 2022 release Samrat Prithviraj featuring Akshay Kumar in the titular role. He revealed how the film, which was expected to revive the theatrical experience post-pandemic, faced severe criticism and fell short of expectations.
Addressing the audience’s objections even before the film’s release, Chandraprakash told Mukesh Khanna on his YouTube channel that they were objecting to how Akshay was looking in the film. One of the objections was about how Manushi Chillar was so much younger, and Akshay, who was 55 then, was playing the role of a 26-year-old king. Then there was a question about his mustache as to why did he not have a real mustache. They even said that the frame of his body was nothing like Prithviraj. He honestly confessed that most of these objections were right.
The director admitted that the film failed to fulfill its responsibility towards the audience and also discussed the creative differences he had with producer Aditya Chopra, emphasizing that their visions for the historical film were poles apart.
“People who get a producer like Aditya Chopra are quite fortunate. He is a sorted man who sees the project through, but he has his own vision, and that was with regards to Prithviraj as well. He is not just a financier; he is also a creative person. He had certain ideas which should have been discussed in the beginning,” he explained. Despite expressing his objections, the director revealed that he went ahead with the film.

Chandraprakash shared feedback from critics, including comparisons to clothing brand Manyavar, and expressed his disappointment with the film’s unexpected fate. “During the making, YRF believed that this film will work wonders. No one thought that this would be the fate of the film,” he added.

The director then disclosed that both he and Akshay learned a valuable lesson that ‘no one should tamper with history’. He mentioned a heartfelt conversation with Akshay post-release, where the actor had tears in his eyes upon hearing the criticism.

Despite the setbacks, the duo later collaborated on successful projects like Ram Setu and OMG 2, demonstrating their resilience in the face of adversity.