Akshay upset at strategy to pull him down

Akshay Kumar is thrilled and upset at the same time. Thrilled, because his new movie, 'Kambakkht Ishq', has taken an incredible start from East to West and from North to South. Post 'Jumbo', 'Chandni Chowk to China' and '8 x 10 Tasveer', Akshay had become everyone's favourite punching bag. Once considered the blue-eyed boy of one and all, Akshay was dropped like a hot potato after a string of flops.

"I was disillusioned. I would be lying if I said that the flops didn't affect me. They did, especially the failure of 'Chandni Chowk to China'. I was heart-broken, crest-fallen," Akshay informs me. He's just back from a whirlwind tour [Puerto Rico, London, Delhi, now Mumbai] and has barely slept since the past few days.

"I was extremely nervous. I couldn't sleep. What if 'Kambakkht Ishq' doesn't open well? That thought kept bothering me," Akshay admits. But now that the film has fetched a superb start, the actor is feeling relieved. "Aaj raat achchi neend aayegi," he flashes his charismatic smile, when he's told that the film should have a record-breaking opening weekend.

But Akshay's upset too -- and it shows -- when he feels that there's a strategy to pull him down. The negative sms-es during the paid previews and the subsequent messages ridiculing his film have hurt him. "Why do we resort to such things? Aren't we happy that the audiences are back? 'New York' attracted crowds, now 'Kambakkht Ishq' has. 'Luck', 'Love Aaj Kal' and 'Kaminey' would also bring crowds. The volume of business is only increasing. But by resorting to such things, we are only harming ourselves," Akshay says.