Akshay Quit Barsaat After Media 'Mentioned Of A Relationship' With Priyanka, Recalls Producer
Akshay Kumar walked out of Barsaat amid buzz of tensions with Priyanka Chopra. Producer Suneel Darshan recalls how the sudden exit left him shocked.
Filmmaker Suneel Darshan recently opened up about Akshay Kumar's sudden exit from the 2005 romantic drama Barsaat, which originally starred him along with Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif. The producer-director, who has collaborated with Akshay in several films over the years, revealed that the actor backed out after shooting a romantic song with Priyanka, allegedly due to issues in his personal life. Barsaat was eventually done by Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra and Bipasha Basu.
Speaking to journalist Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, Suneel said, 'Barsaat was designed immediately after Andaaz to again be a triangular love story with a new dimension, and Akshay was cast in the lead role." He recalled how Akshay had date issues and asked for a slight postponement, which the producer agreed to.
Romantic Track With Priyanka Already Shot
Suneel had already recorded the music and even filmed a song featuring Akshay and Priyanka. However, delays crept in when Priyanka had to travel for international commitments. 'Priyanka Chopra had some international shows for which she was out for 3 months. So the film kept getting delayed," he explained.
By the time she returned and it was time to begin the final leg of the shoot, Akshay invited Suneel to his set, something unusual, as they always met at the producer's office. 'He called me to inform me that there were some issues which were uncontrollable and had repercussions on his personal life. He asked me to take a decision on how we move forward."
Was It Priyanka or Him? Producer Opens Up
While rumours of a relationship between Akshay and Priyanka had already caught the media's attention, Suneel clarified that it wasn't about Akshay refusing to work with her. 'Either of them, the circumstances had reached such a point where… there were issues," he said, adding that the actor left it up to the producer to choose between the two. He continued, 'The audience, the public, the media did mention of a relationship, which the wife got more of…"
Suneel further revealed, 'Suddenly after asking that person to wait for 18 months for your dates, you one day just say, 'Sorry, I can't be a part of it.' I was shocked."
Akshay Promised Compensation But It Wasn't Enough
Though Akshay reportedly offered to do another film to make up for it, Suneel chose not to proceed with him. 'He did want to compensate by saying that I did the next film for you. But I did not. I just thought this was unbelievable. Coming from Akshay… your expectations were never too much."
Despite the setback, the producer harboured no hard feelings. 'He had promised me he would want to do 100 movies with me. I managed to do seven," Suneel concluded.
First Published:
July 25, 2025, 00:47 IST
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