The conflict escalated to the point where Akshay Kumar walked off the project after Vivek refused to let Akshay take the top spot on the credit list.
Akshay Kumar and Vivek Mushran once had a major fallout over film credits, which led to a film being shelved. This dramatic dispute occurred when Akshay after gaining some success demanded to be credited above Vivek in a film, claiming his seniority. At the time Akshay and Vivek were both relatively new to the industry having debuted in 1991. However, Akshay’s debut film Saugandh was released earlier than Vivek’s Saudagar.
When Akshay Kumar’s film got shelved due to…
The conflict escalated to the point where Akshay Kumar walked off the project after Vivek refused to let Akshay take the top spot on the credit list. This incident was revealed by the film’s producer, Harish Shah, in his autobiography Tryst With Films. Shah shared that he had cast Akshay in a parallel role alongside lead actress Manisha Koirala and Vivek Mushran. However, the film never made it to the floor due to the heated argument between the two actors.
Harish Shah recounted that despite his efforts to convince Akshay to focus on the film rather than the credits, Akshay refused and eventually left the project in anger. The film, which also featured legends like Dilip Kumar and Hema Malini, was shelved after Akshay’s departure. Following this, Shah revealed that Shah Rukh Khan expressed interest in taking over the role, but in the meantime, Dilip Kumar announced a new project, Kalinga, which also never saw the light of day.
The reason Akshay insisted on being credited above Vivek was because he considered himself the senior actor, having appeared first in the film industry with Saugandh, despite both making their debuts in 1991. Saugandh was a flop, while Saudagar went on to become a success. However, Akshay Kumar eventually rose to become one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, while Vivek Mushran struggled to find his footing in the industry.
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