Dependable khiladi: With Jolly LLB 2, Akshay stays in the Rs 100-crore club

Fourth consecutive big-profit films seal actor's position in Bollywood

The triumvirate of Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir — the three Khans — might still be ruling the box office, but one actor has slowly established himself as a force to reckon with. With Jolly LLB 2, Akshay Kumar has delivered his fourth consecutive Rs 100-crore project.

A sequel to the 2013 sleeper hit, Jolly LLB, Akshay’s latest film has earned Rs 106.2 crore (net after tax) in its first two weeks. It released on 10 February.

At a landing cost of Rs 45 crore, the film is already profitable at the domestic box office (it broke even at Rs 90 crore). Its overseas haul of $4.7 million (Rs 33 crore) has only added to the profits. 

Ancillary revenue streams such as satellite, home video, music and digital streaming rights, will further add to this. Directed by Subhash Kapoor, the film has Huma Qureshi and Saurabh Shukla in supporting roles. Its prequel starred Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani in lead roles. Though Akshay replaced Warsi, the director and producer (Fox Star Studios) have remained unchanged. 

“We are thrilled and humbled with the response that Jolly LLB 2 has got from audiences. This is Fox Star Studios’ Rs 100-crore hat-trick after M S Dhoni: The Untold Story and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,” said Vijay Singh, chief executive officer, Fox Star Studios.

He added, “The success of Jolly LLB 2 shows the strength of the franchise that is being helmed by superstar Akshay Kumar.”  

With this hit, Bollywood has started off the year on a positive note. The two hits before this were Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees and Hrithik Roshan’s Kaabil — both released on the Republic Day weekend (January 25). Over the past few years, Kumar has fortified his corner in the industry. While the Khans usually do a movie a year — Aamir does one in two — Kumar churns out three or four, delivering more hits than his peers.

Last year, he acted in super hits Airlift (Rs 129 crore) and Rustom (Rs 127.5 crore), while Housefull 3 (Rs 107.7 crore) broke even. In 2015, he acted in Gabbar Is Back, Baby, Singh is Bliing and Brothers. All, except the last one, broke even or made profits.

“What sets him apart is that he manages to churn out more films a year, and maintain profitability. This, of course, has a lot to do with the discipline he follows while working, and his fee structure. Instead of charging a heavy fee upfront, he now charges a nominal fixed fee, and takes a share of profits. This helps brings down the cost of the film, thus making profitability easier,” said an executive from a studio that has worked with Kumar. 

Another studio executive pointed out that Kumar’s choice of scripts has also helped. “Starting with OMG – Oh My God! (2012), Akshay’s films have been script-led, and not just remakes of films from the south, which was a popular formula then. While he did Boss (2013), which was a hit, he did more films such as Special 26 (2013), Holiday (2014), Baby and Airlift, which were appreciated for the storytelling and subject,” he said.