Akshay Kumar the hero' in Mission Mangal

It was a not-so-pleasant surprise for Akshay Kumar’s fans when on Saturday morning they woke up to the news of the actor having just a 25 minute role in his upcoming release Mission Mangal. Considering the fact that the film was being promoted as the superstar’s next big patriotic film, slated for release on Independence Day, the news was hard to digest.

However, sources say that there is no truth to these rumours, and Akki indeed is ‘the hero of the film’.

“When Akshay has a cameo or an extended guest appearance in a film, he announces that himself loud and clear. He did that with Naam Shabana, right? Taapsee Pannu was the leading lady of the film and everyone associated with the film, including Akshay himself, made this clear to the fans well in advance so that their expectations were in check,” says an insider.

However, this is why the rumor has caused a stir amongst everyone associated with the film, especially producer R. Balki, who last directed Akshay in PadMan. “I have no clue from where this false news piece originated,” Balki wonders. “There is no truth to this whatsoever. He has much more screen time than just 25 minutes,” he adds.

The rumors originated because Mission Mangal has quite a few leading ladies, namely Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen and Kirti Kulhari. They all play characters that were involved in the true story of India’s biggest space mission. Fans began to wonder if Akshay will play a small but significant role in the film, which is being directed by Jagan Shakti.

“By all means, Akshay is the hero of the film. As a matter of fact, he will be seen in the film for a longer duration than even Kesari,” Balki retorts.

And while that sounds promising, it remains to be seen what Akshay has to present to his audience.