Filmmaker Shailendra Singh didn’t hold back when discussing Akshay Kumar, categorizing him as ‘money-minded’ while reminiscing about their 2009 collaboration, ‘8 × 10 Tasveer,’ which failed to impress at the box office. He pointed to Akshay’s continuously climbing fees, suggesting they reflect his savvy business strategy.

Akshay Kumar is one of the icons of Hindi cinema. And recently filmmaker and producer Shailendra Singh shared that the actor is “money-minded.” The producer recalled working with him on the film ‘8 × 10 Tasveer’, which was released in the year 2009. Let’s take a look at what he has to say.

Shailendra Singh shares Akshay Kumar refused to give any refund after ‘8 × 10 Tasveer’ failed

In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Shailendra Singh expressed that Akshay Kumar is “money-minded” and a “businessman first, actor later.” He shared, “When I got the opportunity to make a film with him, I was happy.” The producer revealed that the movie was supposed to be shot in Munnar; however, due to Akshay Kumar’s packed schedule, they went to different places. He said, “From Munnar, we went to Calgary, then Cape Town, then several other places.” The producer shared that the film’s budget was around Rs 30-35 crore, but it shot up later.Singh expressed that no one turned up to watch the film in theaters. He said, “I told him, ‘Bro, nobody came to watch your film. You have to take some responsibility. You took a lot of money from me.'” The producer shared that Akshay refused to return any amount to him, and after that, he stopped producing films altogether.

Shailendra Singh calls Akshay Kumar a businessman

In the same interview, Shailendra Singh said, “He starts slow, then increases his quote step by step.” He added, “Rs 15 crore becomes Rs 21 crore, then Rs 27 crore, then suddenly it’s Rs 36 crore because of his lucky number 9. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He is a businessman first, then an actor.”

Shailendra Singh recalls paying a massive amount for ‘Jumbo’ cameo

In the same interview, Shailendra Singh revealed that he paid Rs 9 crore to Akshay for his appearance in the title song of the animated film ‘Jumbo’.

What did Akshay Kumar say about making money

On an episode of ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ with Rajat Sharma, Akshay Kumar addressed the accusation of making a lot of money. He said, “If I’ve earned money, I haven’t looted anyone. I’ve earned it by working. For eight years, I’ve been the highest taxpayer. Money is important in life, you have to be practical.”