Akshay Oberoi breaks silence on 'Takht' dream; says 'It crushed my soul' when film was shelved; fighter gave him hope
Akshay Oberoi
's association with
Karan Johar
's ambitious historical drama 'Takht'. Now, in a candid conversation with News18 Showsha, Akshay has confirmed that he was indeed cast in the film—specifically, as Murad Baksh, the third brother of Aurangzeb and Dara Shukoh.
Recalling his first meeting with Karan, Akshay shared how touched he was by the filmmaker's gesture. 'He told me he hadn't even seen my audition but liked my previous work and wanted to collaborate. We did the look test—it felt surreal.' But that dream would soon come to a halt.
'It was soul-crushing': The day it fell apart
Akshay remembers the day Takht was shelved like it was yesterday. 'I was sitting in my living room and saw the news in the paper. That's how I found out—it wasn't communicated to me directly,' he reveals.
'It crushed my soul. I still have a photo of me in costume, and sometimes I look at it and think, 'I really looked the part.'' The Covid-19 pandemic had already brought the industry to its knees, and the shelving of such a massive project added to the heartbreak.
Despite the setback, Akshay didn't lose hope. As the world slowly opened up post-pandemic, he was offered Fighter, which felt like divine compensation. 'My team at Exceed told me, 'Teri kundli mein likha hai, ek badi film aayegi.' And they were right. 'Takht' didn't happen, but 'Fighter' did. Der aaye durust aaye fits my life perfectly,' he smiles.
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar was recently seen in the comedy entertainer film 'Housefull 5' which turned out to be a blockbuster despite mixed reviews.
Did Akshay Kumar date Raveena Tandon on the 'Mohra' set? Director Rajiv Rai clears the air
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