There have only been nine money-spinners in a hit-parched Bollywood in the first eight months of 2016. Three of them have been films frontlined by Akshay Kumar. Always a dependable name when it comes to churning out hits, the Khiladi has aced the box-office game, delivering one hit after another in 2016. After Airlift in January and Housefull 3 in June, Rustom — Akshay’s Independence Day weekend release — has blazed into the Rs 100-crore club, scoring Rs 112 crore till Monday in India alone. With a total box-office haul of Rs 423 crore — and counting — from his three releases, 2016 is undoubtedly Akshay Kumar’s year… yes, despite Salman and his Rs 300cr-plus Sultan. t2 zooms in on the Akshay Kumar phenomenon…

RAJA OF REINVENTION

Over the last few years, Akshay has surprised with his screen turns, reinventing himself with every role. Long dismissed as an action star and then as a comic actor, Akshay now experiments with almost every film, bringing a special something to even the most run-of-the-mill role. The most profitable — and entertaining — has been his 
new-age patriotic hero, an ordinary man or below-the-radar soldier pulling off extraordinary feats for the country without taking the jingoistic route. Baby to Gabbar Is Back, Holiday to Airlift and even Rustom, Akshay’s patriot act has pleased the box office consistently and also found favour with critics. 

Along with diverse roles, Akshay has also experimented with his looks, pulling out a different one each time — crisp moustache in Baby and Rustom, lean and mean in Brothers, a full beard in Gabbar Is Back or t2’s favourite salt-’n’-pepper look in Airlift.

SULTAN OF SLAPSTICK

Even as he has reinvented himself, AK has polished his comic game, giving us laugh-a-minute entertainers, Hera Pheri to Housefull. His Sandy aka Sundi was undoubtedly the most watchable bit of a brainless Housefull 3 and his LOL act made us sit through even stupid stuff like Entertainment. And whatever little crowd The Shaukeens pulled into theatres was all thanks to Akshay playing an OTT and quite hilarious version of himself (and also doing double duty as producer). 

Medium budget, mega dividends Akshay has cracked the business model of doing films with a middling budget that score high on profits. Made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, Airlift scored Rs 120 crore at the domestic box office, while Housefull 3 scored twice its investment (Rs 130 crore on a budget of Rs 65 crore). Baby — AK’s 2015 biggie — yielded box-office returns of Rs 140 crore with its Rs 59 crore budget. Speaking of Baby, Akshay has found a solid collaborator in Howrah boy Neeraj Pandey whose tight-budget thrillers that pack a punch with tales tightly told have scored high on the commercial as well as critical scales. 

MULTIPLE RELEASES, BUT NO OVERKILL

At a time when the Khans and Kapoors have restricted themselves to doing one or max two films a year, Akshay’s strategy of featuring in multiple releases in a calendar year has paid off. Over the last decade, the man who started off with a seven-second appearance in a 1987 Mahesh Bhatt film called Aaj, has had at least three releases a year, with six films in 2006 alone. Since 2013, Akshay has upped his box-office game, with only one flop or average earner in every four films. But even with so many releases, sometimes even in consecutive months, Akki has ensured that his strategy of picking very different films hasn’t resulted in an overkill. In fact, when it comes to AK, yeh dil maange more!

Airlift

Release date: January 22
What: The real-life account of the evacuation of 1,70,000 Indians from Kuwait during the Gulf War was a heart-warming story with a superlative Akshay leading from the front.
Why it worked: A human story, the tinge of patriotism and Akshay’s A-game saw Airlift fly high. The family film pulled them all in, with many even trooping in for a repeat watch.  
Box office: Rs 120 crore in India; Rs 111 crore overseas. 

Housefull 3

Release date: June 3
What: The ‘silcom’ continued the farce of the first two films in the smash-hit franchise. Some parts made us go ha-ha, others not. 
Why it worked: Akshay was the best thing about Housefull 3, his ‘split personality’ act bringing on the laughs. Also the film’s ‘boy chemistry’ — Akshay, Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh — was a definite plus.  
Box office: Rs 130 crore in India; Rs 120 crore overseas. 

Rustom

Release date: August 12
What: Inspired by the sensational KM Nanavati murder case of 1959, the Neeraj Pandey 
production directed by Tinu Suresh Desai may not have been a smooth watch, but packed in enough to please the viewer.
Why it worked: A rock-solid Akshay carried the film on his shoulders even as the rest of Rustom crumbled around him. Strong pre-release buzz and a Friday dud in the form of Mohenjo Daro steered the audience towards Rustom.  
Box office: Rs 112 crore in India; Rs 65 crore overseas (still playing in theatres). 

AK IN NUMBERS

2015

Singh is Bliing (Rs 80 crore, India) 
Brothers (Rs 83 crore, India)
Gabbar Is Back (Rs 88 crore, India)
Baby (Rs 140 crore, India)
Total: Rs 391 crore

2014

Holiday (Rs 115 crore, India) 
Entertainment (Rs 60 crore, India)
The Shaukeens (Rs 32 crore, India)
Total: Rs 207 crore

2013

Boss (Rs 45 crore, India)
Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara (Rs 60 crore, India)
Special 26 (Rs 82 crore, India)
Total: Rs 187 crore

 

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