Akshay Kumar won't charge a single penny for two of his films

Trade circles say that Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar was reportedly signed for as high a fee as Rs 71 crore for a film, has had a change of mind.

Reliable market sources say that the entire completion cost of Akshay’s next two films –‘Khatta Meetha’ directed by Priyadarshan and ‘Tees Maar Khan’ directed by Farah Khan will reportedly not exceed Rs 35 crore.

According to one trade source the cost of making ‘Khatta Meetha’ and ‘Tees Maar Khan’ won’t include the actor’s fee.

The same source adds that when Akshay realised that his films ‘Chandni Chowk to China’, ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ and ‘Tasveer’ lost money because of his individual fee as an actor, he decided to make a market correction.

Having studied the current Bollywood trade scene, the actor has decided not to charge a single penny for his films.

However, Akki’s banner ‘Hari Om Productions’ is a co-producer of the films ‘Khatta Meetha’ and ‘Tees Maar Khan’.

The actor explains the logic behind this drastic move of not charging his market fee. He said that for both the films his fees will be Rs.0. If both films are hits, then the production house will stand to benefit by getting a part of the profits. If the film is average, the profit margin will automatically be reduced. And if the film flops, no one will lose money because the budget has been controlled. By not charging his personal remuneration as an actor, he has made sure that these films will at least romp home with no losses.

Trade sources say that the Akshay is being closely watched by all actors who have home productions.