MUMBAI: The onset of the monsoon has led to COVID-19 striking again and actor Akshay Kumar who is a fitness freak and is well-known for being one of the most disciplined and hard-working celebs in the industry has tested positive for the infection. For the past few weeks, he has been busy doing promotions for his much-anticipated film 'Sarfira' which was released last Friday and the news has not been too good on the collection front, despite its big budget and star cast. 

It was expected that the superstar would take a break from the promotional activities and attend Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding, especially after the groom personally went to the actor’s house to invite him, but Akshay apparently missed the event which saw several international celebrities flown down to attend the starry affair hosted by industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani. 

As per a report in Hindustan Times quoting a source close to the production house exclusively told HT City, "Akshay Kumar had been promoting his latest release Sarfira when he felt unwell and decided to get tested after being told that some crew members of his promotions team had tested positive for covid. The actor tested positive on Friday morning and would end up missing the last leg of promotions, as well as Anant Ambani’s wedding for which Anant had personally gone to invite him. It’s disappointing but the responsible guy that Akshay is, he has immediately isolated himself."

Talking of Sarfira’s box office collection on Friday the first day, the film earned Rs 2.5 crore on the first day, Rs 4.25 crore on Saturday, and Rs 5.25 crore on Sunday, totalling Rs 12 crore for the first weekend which is the most critical three days for the success of any film. Some analysts are already saying that it's going to be another debacle for Akshay, and counting his last few flops, if this film does not pick up then it would be his 9th consecutive box office failure.  Except OMG 2 last year in which Akshay appeared in a small role but was a hit, (the main character was played by Pankaj Tripathi) besides this, all of Akshay's films have failed at the box office.

Sarfira, an official adaptation of the 2020 Tamil film Soorarai Pottru, arrived in theatres today. Steered by director and screenwriter Sudha Kongara, the drama also stars Paresh Rawal, Radhikka Madan and Tamil superstar Suriya in a cameo.