Akshay Not Welcome at His Sequel’s Trailer Launch?

Suneel Darshan’s choice to remake Andaaz after 22 years with Andaaz 2 has had mixed responses. The 2003 musical Romantic, starring Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, and Priyanka Chopra, was a hit that propelled the careers of its leading ladies.

The sequel, however, casts new faces, Aayush Kumar and Akaisha Vats, letting down Akshay Kumar fans. Critics claim that the absence of star power and contemporary filmmaking style might hamper the success of the sequel as compared to its original.

Three songs from Andaaz 2—’ Tere Bin Kahin Dil Na Lagey,’ ‘You’re Beautiful,’ and ‘Ishq Junooni Hai’—have been out but did not make much buzz. The retro feel of the teaser has also questioned its success among the current generation.

Furthermore, in an interview, Suneel Darshan stated that Akshay Kumar would not be there at the trailer launch, underscoring the fact that fresh faces are worthy of attention.

This is while evoking Darshan’s support for new talent, alienating Akshay’s fan base further, who view Andaaz 2 as an unwanted sequel capable of tainting the original’s reputation.

Added to the buzz is news that a cold war rages on between Akshay Kumar and Suneel Darshan. Stories go that having become an ace, Akshay stopped mingling with Darshan, his director-friend, who befriended him at the lows in the 90s of getting flops consistently.

All this has worked towards skepticism about whether Andaaz 2 will capture as much essence of the classic film or not.