Priyadarshan to stop making serious films with Akshay Kumar

Director Priyadarshan has announced that he will no longer collaborate with actor Akshay Kumar on serious film projects. This decision follows the underwhelming theatrical performance of their recent suspense thriller, ‘Haiwaan’.

Priyadarshan stated that the failure of ‘Haiwaan’ confirms that audiences prefer the duo in comedic roles rather than serious subjects. He noted that this is not an isolated incident, citing the previous underperformance of the film ‘Khatta Meetha’ as further evidence of their mismatch in non-comedic genres.

The director-actor pairing is historically celebrated for successful comedy classics such as ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Garam Masala’, ‘Bhagam Bhag’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’, and ‘De Dana Dan’.

Moving forward, the duo is expected to return to their comedic roots with the upcoming 2026 release ‘Bhooth Bangla’, a comedy-horror film starring Akshay Kumar, Tabu, Paresh Rawal, and Wamiqa Gabbi.