Imagine working in a Bangkok kitchen, sleeping on the floor, and just hoping for a break. Most people would have called it quits after a few years, but that person ended up building one of the biggest names in entertainment history.
That man is Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. While he is known for his relentless work ethic, he faced a brutal run of failures between 2021 and 2024. This string of losses pushed him to finally dust off a backup plan he had been holding onto for years, nearly ending one of the most successful careers in Indian cinema.
The 16-flop streak that led to the Canada plan
The post-pandemic era was incredibly unkind to the “Khiladi.” Between 2022 and early 2024, he faced a string of high-profile disasters including Samrat Prithviraj, Raksha Bandhan, Selfiee, and Mission Raniganj. Industry trackers like Box Office India noted that his success ratio dropped to an alarming low, leading many to wonder if his era was over.
During the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2024, he opened up about this low point. “It is not that I have not seen (this phase before), there was a time when I had 16 consecutive flops in one go in my career. But I stood there and kept on working and I’ll still do that,” he said.
It was during this slump that Akshay considered moving to Canada to start a cargo business with a friend. Having held Canadian citizenship since 2011, he felt that if the Indian audience was no longer connecting with his work, he needed a practical exit.
He admitted in an older interview with Aaj Tak, “I thought that ‘Bhai, my films are not working and one has to work’. I went there for work. My friend was in Canada and he said, ‘Come here’. I applied and I got in.”
However, fate intervened. Just as he was preparing to pivot to the cargo industry, two of his pending releases became hits. This sudden reversal – driven by the massive success of Sooryavanshi and later the commercial relief of OMG 2 – convinced him to stay. He officially renounced his Canadian citizenship and received his Indian passport again on August 15, 2023. In 2025, his films Housefull 5 and Jolly LLB 3 turned out to be massive Box Office hits. The rest, as we know, is history.
Building a Rs 2,700 crore business empire
Akshay’s fortune comes from his unique ‘high-volume’ model. While other stars do one movie a year, Akshay finishes films in 40 to 60 days. According to The Times of India, he charges between Rs 70 crore and Rs 145 crore per project.
He also produces most of his films through his company, Cape of Good Films, which has generated hundreds of crores in revenue through features like Airlift, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Rustom, Mission Mangal, PadMan and others. The actor is also a savvy investor with a diverse portfolio which ranges from healthtech to agritech.
Data from Tracxn and Forbes shows he has provided financial backing to startups like GOQii, Two Brothers Organic Farms, and recently joined the Fashion Entrepreneur Fund. From his clothing brand Force IX to an Rs 80 crore duplex in Juhu, he has turned a failing acting career into a corporate powerhouse.