Before marrying Twinkle Khanna, Akshay Kumar was in a serious relationship with Shilpa Shetty. After working together in Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), the actors grew close to each other and started dating. In a recent interview, filmmaker Suneel Darshan, who directed Shilpa and Akshay’s hit film Jaanwar in 1999, recalled how they were on the verge of getting married back in the day.

During a chat with Minutes Of Masala, he opened up about a lull in Akshay’s career after delivering a string of flops in the late 1990s. It was Suneel Darshan’s Jaanwar that became the major career-reviving breakout and turning point for the actor following the disastrous slump. “Producers had stopped producing Akshay’s films after a point in time, because there was no saleability and marketability,” he shared.

The director-producer revealed that Akshay and Shilpa’s romantic relationship was going strong during that time. However, they parted ways due to a misunderstanding. “During that time, Akshay and Shilpa’s relationship was also going strong, and I thought they were almost getting married. But there were some misunderstandings and they broke up,” he revealed.

Jaanwar became a commercial success, which broke the brutal streak of Akshay’s consecutive flops, including, Sapoot (1996), Lahoo Ke Do Rang (1997) Insaaf: The Final Justice (1997), Daava (1997), Taraazu (1997), and many others. “By then, Jaanwar released and emerged a hit. That was the first time when Akshay Kumar’s stardom took its first jump,” he said.

Darshan further added, “The producers of all his films that were on hold, including Hera Pheri, Dhadkan, etc, geared up for release. For 25 years, his career kept soaring and there was no looking back for him. I did a total of 7 films with him.”

However, at one point, Akshay was left baffled when he heard rumours about Suneel Darshan signing a project with Hrithik Roshan. “After Jaanwar’s release, Akshay once heard rumours in the market that I am signing Hrithik Roshan for my next film. He came to talk to me and asked if he did anything wrong with me. But, I clarified that I went to Hrithik’s house but I haven’t signed him, it was a miscommunication. He took a promise from me to make 100 films with him. I said, ‘wonderful’,” he concluded.

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Suneel Darshan and Akshay Kumar also worked together in Andaaz, Talaah: The Hunt Begins, Ek Rishta: The Bond of Love, among others.