Ekta Kapoor reveals Akshay Kumar returned his paycheque after their first film failed at the box office: 'I was in shock'

Ekta Kapoor and Akshay Kumar (Pic/Yogen Shah)

Producer Ektaa Kapoor recently revealed that Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar once returned her the money after one of their collaborations tanked at the box office. The producer, along with the actor, was seen attending the trailer launch of their upcoming horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla. During the event, Ekta spoke with the media about the superstar's generosity and ethics.

Akshay Kumar returned his cheque to Ekta Kapoor after THIS film failed

Ekta Kapoor shared, "Not many people know this about him but once, he returned the cheque saying that, 'You have lost money because of this film'. I was in shock. Nobody does this. I have been in the industry for 31 years, and I haven't seen anyone doing that. He just casually handed over the cheque to me, saying, 'Take it'."

Ekta added that she didn't want the money back. Instead, she convinced him to do another film with her. "I said nahi ek film karlo mere liye. Main bohot kamaaungi agar aap ek film karoge mere liye. That film finally happened. (I told him, ‘No, do a film for me. I will earn a lot if you do a film for me.' That film finally happened)," she revealed.

For the unversed, the film she was talking about was Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara! The film was released in 2013 and was directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. It was a sequel to the 2010 film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, starring Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, and Sonakshi Sinha, with Sonali Bendre in a special appearance. The film turned out to be a massive box-office failure, reportedly earning just Rs 91.7 crore against a budget of ₹85 crore.

About Bhooth Bangla

The trailer of Bhooth Bangla was unveiled on Monday. The film marks the reunion of Akshay Kumar, Priyadarshan, Paresh Rawal, and Rajpal Yadav. The film also stars Tabu, Rajpal Yadav, Jisshu Sengupta, Asrani and Mithila Palkar.

Earlier, the film was set to release on April 10. However, the makers of the film decided to postpone its release date. Ekta Kapoor took to her Instagram to share a creative informing her followers of the change in the release date. The decision was taken owing to the exceptional performance of the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar: The Revenge.

The film will now hit the cinemas on April 16, 2026.