A fortnight ago it was revealed that a dated Punjabi film, Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya had splashed Akshay Kumar all over its promotional campaign to present him as a prominent cast member. While sources close to the actor had dismissed this as a tactic from the makers to take undue advantage of his superstar appeal, courtesy the fact that he hadn't really shot for the film per se, Akshay is mighty upset now. Reason being that till date the makers haven't budged from their stand and continue to use Akshay's 'appearance' in its promos and other promotional design, despite the actor categorically staying away from it.
"When the news first broke, those close to Akshay had made it clear that the footage shown in this Thakur Tapasvi directed affair was not for the film but for a generic message on Indo-Pak peace. A legal notice for this was put together as well. Still, Akshay's name features as a 'Special Appearance' in the promos. Moreover, as the film readies for its release later this month, Akshay's presence is being made all the more prominent. This is totally uncalled for. It was first believed that after Akshay's rebuttal, these people will back off but that hasn't been the case. It is very disappointing," says a source.
Considering the fact that Akshay has never really taken on his adversaries full frontal, he hasn't gone on an offensive yet. However he doesn't want his loyal fan base to be taken for a ride and has made an effort to let them know all over again that he is not a part of the film.
"He isn't someone who would want trouble or losses for anyone. However he takes his large fan base very personally. The last thing he would want is someone to watch a film to see him on the big screen and return disappointed. If it was a film that would have released without promotion and hadn't highlighted him prominently, he would have just let it pass. Since that is not the case here, he had no other option left but to make an official statement," the source continues.