His last film Housefull 2 grossed `100 crores at the box office and as his next, Rowdy Rathore, readies to hit theatres this weekend, B-town tradesville is abuzz with speculation as to whether or not he will have a strike two. “Superstars such as Aamir and Salman have done it in the past — Aamir delivered 3 Idiots after Ghajini and Salman had a hattrick run of Dabangg, Ready and Bodyguard. There’s every chance of Akshay joining this elite club as Rowdy Rathore is carrying terrific reports in the industry,” says a trade analyst.
The khiladi seems to have a lot of well-wishers as some also feel that Akshay can achieve the `100 crore feat in less than 10 days. But that could well be a far-fetched thought. “Bodyguard did it in 9 days but then it had the advantage of Eid holidays. Rowdy Rathore has no such advantage but that shouldn’t come in the way of the film’s success — maybe it will take a fortnight or so to make a `100 crores,” adds the trade analyst.
If that indeed happens, it will be a shot in the arm for Akshay as he was reeling under the pressure of flops for quite some time. But that’s a big “if”.