“He (Akshay) will not listen. The film required a dedicated concentration. He wouldn’t even grow a real mustache, as he was doing other projects together. When playing a historically significant figure, why couldn’t he just do one project, and give his best? The report quoted a source as saying.
Speaking to ETimes, Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi rubbished reports that claimed that he blamed Akshay for the film’s failure. “In the last four years we have come closer to each other. He is not just an actor to me. He is more than an actor – a friend, a well-wisher, a guardian. He is younger than me but behaves like a parent. I have never blamed him for the film’s failure. Why should I? If he was not there, the film would never have been made. If anyone is responsible for the failure of ‘Samrat Prithviraj’, it is me. I am my audience. doesn’t understand,” he said.
Dwivedi further said that ‘whatever is being printed is not my dialect.’
In an earlier conversation with Film Saathi, Chandraprakash Dwivedi had said that it was not right that people boycotted the film because of Akshay’s past controversies. He said, “Look, it’s not that you don’t have the right to reject an actor, but he’s been working for 30 years, so you know his abilities. Akshay Kumar nailed the role to the best of his ability. He is not the first actor whose performance has not been liked by the audience, but there is no point in boycotting him for his performance as Prithviraj; because of the things he has done in the past. Boycotting, such as promoting pan masala or saying that one should not give milk to Lord Shiva, does not make any sense as these matters have nothing to do with the film.”