Akshay Kumar recently said that while Dhurandhar is a great film that appeals to the adults while his upcoming film Bhooth Bangla is for both children and families.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the second part of Aditya Dhar's spy drama, featuring Ranveer Singh, has become a box office sensation since its release four days ago. It has already amassed Rs 761 crore at the box office and is expected to soon race past the figure of Rs 1,000 crore.
Bhooth Bangla, a horror-comedy, releases in cinemas on April 10 and both Akshay and Priyadarshan have high hopes from the movie.
When asked whether it was a conscious decision to bring out a light-hearted movie at a time when action and violent movies are ruling the box office, Akshay said their decision was not dictated by any trend.
"There are different kind of films (being made). Dhurandhar is a great film, I've seen it. This (Bhooth Bangla) is a different film. Dhurandhar is an adult film, this (Bhooth Bangla) is for kids and families,” Akshay told PTI in an interview.
"When we made this film, we didn’t look at what the current trend is, we rather looked at whether the story was good or not and accordingly we made this film. We never thought about the trend," he added.
Priyadarshan, who has worked with Akshay on Hera Pheri (2000), Garam Masala (2005) and Bhool Bhulaiyya (2007), said audience flocking to watch Border 2 and Dhurandhar, will need a break.
"Films like Dhurandhar, Border 2 all are doing extremely well and all of a sudden when you take a break and do something different (it is great). People who watch films like Dhurandhar can also enjoy it," he said.
Priyadarshan said the "area of exploitation" is larger in such movies than that of action films because it appeals to a universal audience.
“I think our area of exploitation is bigger and people like to see different things. That is our biggest plus point with Bhooth Bangla. Moreover, this is a pure entertainment, fun film it is not as intense as Border or Dhurandhar,” he said.
“People enjoy every kind of film. I believe as long as the film is holding the attention and interest of people, every film will work. Any parent can proudly bring their children and watch my film because I never use double meaning (stuff) or (show) vulgarity (in my films). I never embarrass the parents. This is something I have been maintaining from the day I started my career," the director added.
The director said he and Akshay loved the story and decided to work together again.
"We finished this film (Bhooth Bangla) and even our next film (Haiwaan). We used to work like this, like doing one film after another in the past also, and whatever films we did, they all have worked well (at the box office)," Akshay said.
The 58-year-old star and Priyadarshan are also working on two more projects - Haiwaan, which will also star Saif Ali Khan, and the third part of Hera Pheri franchise.
Besides Akshay, Bhooth Bangla will also feature Wamiqa Gabbi, Paresh Rawal, Tabu and Rajpal Yadav.
Presented by Balaji Motion Pictures, a division of Balaji Telefilms Ltd, in association with Cape of Good Films, the film is produced by Akshay Kumar, Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor.
