Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein Director Mudassar Aziz: ‘Audience Buys Tickets Depending On Several Factors’

Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein has been a flop.

Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein director Mudassar Aziz has reacted the underwhelming box office performance of the film. Despite mostly positive reviews, the film barely made it past Rs 30 crore, adding to Akshay’s recent run of flops. In an interview with Zoom Entertainment, Aziz called the experience bittersweet for the team. He mentioned that while the cast’s WhatsApp group chat is still active, there’s a noticeable sense of disappointment. Aziz also suggested that the film might have required a level of understanding that some viewers missed.

Speaking of the film’s outing at the box office, he said, “My biggest learning has been that there is a very large chunk of our theatre-going, ticket-buying Hindi cinema audience has very heavily tilted in the age group of 15-30. This audience will buy tickets depending on several factors, which are sometimes not related to how much they would enjoy your film. The film needs to come across like an event. And an event precedes itself, before the quality of the film.”

When asked about promoting Khel Khel Mein as a big event, the filmmaker said, “Let’s start with choice of story, let’s start with economic strata, let’s start with maturity of mind required to comprehend a film such as Khel Khel Mein. Why talk about marketing and release date? There’s a certain mental intelligence, a certain awareness about relationships; there is a prerequisite to Khel Khel Mein. It’s not an out-and-out entertainer, it’s asking questions about relationships, about marriages, about orientations…”

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar will be next seen in Sky Force. The action drama release has been postponed and according to a report, the film will not release on January 24, 2025. Bollywood Hungama has quoted a source saying, “Sky Force would arrive in cinemas on January 24, 2025. It’ll be a Republic Day release and is the right time to be presented to the viewers as it’s a patriotic entertainer. An official announcement will happen soon.”