Laxmmi Bomb: Will Akshay Kumar's most experimental film see the light of day?

Akshay Kumar's three-decade-long career graph can be easily compartmentalised into three zones. The first decade of his Bollywood stint earned him the title of Khiladi Kumar, the next 10 years saw him trying hard to tickle the funny bone. But after a few hits and misses in the action and comedy genres, Akshay Kumar decided to turn over a new leaf with deshbhakti films.

At the turn of 2013, Akshay decided to shift gears once again. This time, he moved to patriotic films, lock, stock and barrel. He not only single-handedly got a Hafiz Saeed lookalike back to India in the 2013 film Baby, but also rescued lakhs of Indians trapped in Kuwait during the Gulf War in Airlift (2016). If this wasn't enough, he openly talked about open defecation (Toilet: Ek Prem Katha) and sanitary pads (Pad Man) on the big screen, something that no Bollywood actor had tried before him. In no time, the 51-year-old actor made it to the favourite list of almost every cinemagoer, courtesy his new-age Bharat Kumar image.

But what Akshay is planning to do next, is something that many can call the most experimental role of his career so far. The Baby actor is set to play a transgender in Laxmmi Bomb. An official remake of Tamil film Kanchana, Laxmmi Bomb will see Akshay as a man possessed by a transgender ghost.

On Saturday, Akshay surprised everyone with the first-look poster of Laxmmi Bomb, promising to bring a "bomb of a story".

Bringing you one bomb of a story,#LaxmmiBomb starring @Advani_Kiara & yours truly!Bursting in cinemas on 5th June,2020??
Fox Star Studios Presents
A Cape of Good Films Production in association with Shabinaa Entertainment & Tusshar Entertainment House
Directed by Raghava Lawrence pic.twitter.com/vlXyK4HkNE Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 18, 2019

At a time when Akshay fans were busy hailing their favourite actor for stepping out of his comfort zone and trying something as interesting as Laxmmi Bomb, the film's director Raghava Lawrence walked out of the project.

Raghava Lawrence, who directed the original Tamil film, stepped down as the director after the first poster of Laxmmi Bomb was released without his knowledge.

Sharing a detailed note on Twitter, Lawrence said, "In this world, more than money and fame, self-respect is the most important attribute to a person's character. So I have decided to step out of the project, Laxmmi Bomb, the Hindi remake of Kanchana. I don't want to mention the reason because there are multiple reasons, but one of them is that the first look poster of the film was released today without my knowledge and even without discussing anything with me. I was informed about this by a third person. It is very painful for a director to know about his movie's first look release from others. I feel very disrespected and disappointed. As a creator, I'm also not satisfied with the poster design as well. This shouldn't happen to any director. (sic)"

Dear Friends and Fans..!I
In this world, more than money and fame, self-respect is the most important attribute to a person's character. So I have decided to step out of the project, #Laxmmibomb Hindi remake of Kanchana@akshaykumar
@RowdyGabbar @Advani_Kiara pic.twitter.com/MXSmY4uOgR Raghava Lawrence (@offl_Lawrence) May 18, 2019

Not many know, but the first schedule of the film was wrapped up in Mumbai last month. According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the film went on floors in April when Akshay and Kiara Advani filmed a song, Bismilla, along with a few scenes.

But with Lawrence's sudden exit, the fate of the film is now in a limbo. So will Akshay Kumar's most experimental film see the light of day?

Mumbai Mirror reports that the makers called in an emergency meeting on Sunday after Lawrence's decision to step down as the director of Laxmmi Bomb.

"Akshay has taken control of the project and met Shabina and Tusshar (producers of Laxmmi Bomb) to decide the future course of action," a source told the daily.

The report further suggests that the makers are now keen to rope in a new director as the film has already gone on floors. "The second schedule is only in September and things will fall in place by then. Akshay has allotted bulk dates for a 40-day marathon shooting spell in Mumbai. With Raghava, there was a communication gap which was difficult to breach. So we have to take a decision on the new director soon," added the source.

Looks like the Akshay Kumar film is very much on track, despite the initial glitch. Laxmmi Bomb is set to hit the screens in June 2020, and that too, with a new director.

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