Akshay Kumar stopped working with Priyanka Chopra because of Twinkle Khanna, says Suneel Darshan: 'She had issues...'

Filmmaker Suneel Darshan has said that Akshay Kumar dropped out of Barsaat as his wife Twinkle Khanna had ‘issues’ with him working with Priyanka Chopra.

Filmmaker Suneel Darshan has claimed that Akshay Kumar stopped working with Priyanka Chopra years ago due to objections from his Twinkle Khanna. Suneel, who directed Barsaat, which initially starred Akshay and Priyanka, said the actor dropped out of the project due to Twinkle’s reservations.

Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra in a still from their 2004 film Aitraaz.

Barsaat, which released in 2005, was a romantic drama that starred Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra, and Bipasha Basu. Akshay had originally been cast as the male lead of the film and had even shot a song with Priyanka, after he which he reportedly backed out. Following this, Bobby was cast. Akshay and Priyanka Chopra worked in a number of movies from 2003-05, including Andaaz, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, and Aitraaz.

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Suneel Darshan said about the two actors, “Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra were a very good pair, very similar in terms of their personal traits. They had amazing chemistry. I thought the song looked beautiful; no vulgarity, no obscenity, very sensuous. Then Priyanka went for a world tour, and when she came back… I don’t know what happened in between.”

The filmmaker added that he later got to know that Akshay’s wife Twinkle Khanna had allegedly raised objections at the two working together. “By then, I had also got to know of the other issues that had come up between him and his wife. She had issues with Priyanka, I was told… I feel the profession has its own hazards. Sometimes, the proximity, sometimes the individual’s own lifestyles, all these things come in the way and the media blows it out of proportion, without realising how much loss a filmmaker could suffer because of it,” he added.

Akshay and Priyanka have not appeared in a film together since 2005 even though both of them have gone on to have successful careers separately. Twinkle and Akshay have been married for over 20 years and have two kids together.