8 x 10 Tasveer (English: 8 x 10 Picture) is a 2009 Bollywood thriller film starring Akshay Kumar and Ayesha Takia Azmi. It is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, and produced by Percept Picture Company. The film features Sharmila Tagore, Javed Jaffrey, Anant Mahadevan, Girish Karnad, Benjamin Gilani, Rushad Rana, Andrea Tully, and Pia Shah in supporting roles. In March 2008, the cast and crew filmed in Calgary, Canada. It was previously called Tasveer, but changed due to the director's insistence that the title was jinxed.^[5] The film's music is composed by Salim-Sulaiman with a title track by Bohemia.

Plot[link]

Jai Puri (Akshay Kumar) is a forest ranger in the woods near Alberta, Canada. Jai lives in a cabin with his girlfriend Sheila, but has been estranged from his parents, Jatin and Savitri Puri. Jatin is the CEO of a privately held Canadian oil company, Canoil.

Jai has a supernatural gift: he is able to enter a photograph and vividly experience the events preceding the time of the photograph. Jai is unable to understand or explain this gift, except to recall that it started when he was very young. He tries to use this gift to help people, despite the risks to his own body. He can remain in photographs only for a minute, and experiences life-threatening, stroke-like effects afterward.

Jai's father drowns in a boating accident under mysterious circumstances. Jatin was aboard his own boat, the Golmaal, and was surrounded by his wife; his brother, Sunder; longtime friend and lawyer Anil; and Adit, Jatin's surrogate son. Eccentric former cop Hapibulla "Happi" Pasha, who suffers from OCD, believes Jatin may have been murdered, and that everyone on the boat at that time may have had a motive. The only clue is an 8x10 photograph of the four men, which Savitri shot a few moments before Jatin fell off the boat and had a hypothermia-induced heart attack.

Jai repeatedly uses his gift to enter the photo and experience the incident through the eyes of the four subjects in it. He picks up various clues from the viewpoint of the subject. Happi follows up on these clues and tries to string together a theory. But Jai feels his body gradually weakening from the stress of entering the photo. Sunder is found hanged, an apparent suicide, and a mysterious party in a black SUV tries to kill Jai and Sheila. Later, someone makes an attempt on Savitri's life. Happi enlists the help of a nurse, Sally, who helps with medical aide to Jai in order to help him find the killer.

Jai enters the photo one last time to find the final set of clues, and is set upon by his now-grown twin, Jeet who had been presumed dead but had survived the fall from the cliff to live a hellish and abusive childhood. During a tussle, Happi arrives at Jai's cabin and tries to help, but Sheila kills him with an axe. Jeet and Sheila dump Happi's body, as well as that of their betrayed confederate Adit, into the sea, and attempt to do the same with Jai. Jai escapes, and attempts to reconcile with his long-lost brother. Touched, Jeet kills Sheila as she fires on Jai, but her shot kills Jeet. At the end, Jai moves in with his mother.

Cast[link]

• Akshay Kumar Jai Puri / Jeet Puri
• Ayesha Takia Azmi Sheela Patel
• Sharmila Tagore Savitri Puri
• Jaaved Jaaferi Pasha a.k.a. Happi
• Girish Karnad Anil Sharma
• Anant Mahadevan Sundar Puri
• Benjamin Gilani as Jatin Puri
• Rushad Rana as Adit
• Pia Shah as Sally Kohli
• Darlene L'Archeveque /Paramedic
• Utara Pawkar

Production[link]

Following initial delays due to visa and luggage problems, the film's budget increased more than expected.^[5] The film was further delayed because of the producers-distributors dispute with exhibitors over revenue-sharing terms and the IPL. The Guild had decided not to release any new films after 3 April, but paying heed to Percept Picture Company’s request, decided that the strike would commence after 4 April facilitating the film's 3 April release.^[6]

Close to the release of the film, rumors spread that the release would be stalled due to certain misunderstandings between the producers Percept Picture Company and the music distributors T-Series. Cheques of Rs 6.67 crore given by PPC to T Series bounced giving rise to rumours that the film would not be released on the stipulated date. However, PPC CEO Navin Shah, confirmed that the cheques had bounced but also stated that a demand draft had already been given to the music partners and that film's release would be on schedule.^[7]

Release[link]

The film was expected to lure audiences to theaters primarily because of a public holiday on 3 April but the film failed to garner much appreciation and opened to a lowly 30%–40% start at major multiplexes across the country.^[8] The film was stiffly contested by Fast and Furious at the box office. Particularly in Maharashtra, the film was highly surpassed by Mahesh Manjrekar's Marathi film Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy.^[9]

Filmmakers believe that the primary reasons for the film's disappointing run at the box office was the lack of a blockbuster soundtrack and a less targeted promotion. Vivek Agnihotri stated "I saw the film in an empty theater. One of the main reasons why I think the film didn't even take an opening is due to Akshay's brand promise which is pure entertainment. I think makers couldn't exploit it's a result, they not just wasted an opportunity but also annoyed viewers who love Akshay. Also, no one understood the genre of the film."^[10]

Box office[link]

8 x 10 Tasveer grossed Rs. 15.25 crore in five weeks.^[11] It was a disaster yet Akshay Kumar commented that the film is one of his favorite films he had done.

Critical reception[link]

The film generally met with negative reviews. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 1.5 out of 5, saying, "The film goes wrong, in fact horribly wrong, in the penultimate 20-25 minutes, which is the lifeline of any suspense-thriller. Nagesh Kukunoor has missed the bus this time!"^{[citation needed]} Most of the critics criticized the second half of the movie. Rajeev Masand of CNN IBN also criticized the movie and rated it a 1/5.^[12] Nikhat Kazmi for The Times of India rated it an average 2/5, saying, "There's nothing really to cheer you up in the desultory proceedings, unless you want to watch chubby-cheeked Ayesha and lissome Akshay go mountain biking when he's not squirming in the time machine".^[13] Sashi Baliga from the Hindustan Times also gave the movie a 2/5.^[14]

Music[link]

The music was composed by Salim-Sulaiman. The American rap artist Bohemia wrote, produced and sung the title song for Akshay Kumar.

The music's reception was average. Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave the music 2 out of 5 stars and said, "8x10 Tasveer has an average soundtrack with 'Nazaara Hai' being the pick of the lot. The two romantic numbers do not go an extra distance though the solo rap song 'I Got The Picture' does make for an interesting hear".^[15]

Atta Khan of Planet Bollyood rated the music 4/10 saying, "The music of 8x10 Tasveer is a huge let down and I'm surprised it got the backing of Nagesh based on the high standards he set for previous soundtracks. It just sounds rushed, lacks synergy and is utterly forgettable".^[16]

References[link]

Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar in 2009
Born	Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (1967-09-09) 9 September 1967 (age 44) Amritsar, Punjab, India
Occupation	actor, producer, presenter
Years active	1991–present
Spouse	Twinkle Khanna (2001–present)

Akshay Kumar (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia^[1] on 9 September 1967^[1]) is an Indian film actor, producer, comedian and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. He has nominated for Filmfare Award several times and won two times. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series", which included Khiladi (1992), Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Sabse Bada Khiladi (1995), Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996), Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi (1997), International Khiladi (1999), and Khiladi 420 (2000), as well as other action films such as Waqt Hamara Hai (1993), Mohra (1994), Elaan (1994) and Suhaag (1994).^[2]

Later he also gained fame for his drama, romance and comic roles.^[3] He started becoming known for his performances in romance films like Yeh Dillagi (1994) and Dhadkan (2000) as well as drama films such as Ek Rishtaa (2001). His comic performances in comedy films such as Hera Pheri (2000), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), and Garam Masala (2005) met with acclaim. His success further rose in 2007, when he starred in four consecutive commercial hits. He has thus established himself as one of the leading actors in Hindi cinema.

Apart from acting, Kumar worked as a stunt actor; he often performed many dangerous stunts in his films,^[4] which earned him a reputation as the "Indian Jackie Chan".^[2] 2008 marked his television debut as the host of the show Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi. In 2009, Kumar founded the Hari Om Entertainment production company.^[5] In 2008, the University of Windsor conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law on Kumar in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. The following year he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. In 2011 Asian Film Awards honored Kumar for his outstanding achievement in Cinema.^[3]

Early life[link]

Akshay Kumar was born in Amritsar, Punjab.^[1] His father was an army officer. His mother's name is Aruna Bhatia. From a very young age, he was recognised as a performer, particularly as a dancer. Kumar was raised in Delhi's Chandni Chowk neighbourhood before moving to Mumbai.^[6] In Mumbai, he lived in Koliwada, which was another Punjabi dominated area.^[6] He studied at Don Bosco School and then Guru Nanak Khalsa College (King's Circle), where he participated in sports with Janpal Singh.^[6]

After having obtained a black belt in Taekwondo while in India,^[7] he studied martial arts in Bangkok, Thailand,^[6] where he learned Muay Thai^[7] and worked as a chef^[6] and waiter.^[7] He then came back to Mumbai, where he started teaching martial arts. One of his students happened to be a photographer and recommended him to do modelling. The student gave him a modelling assignment for a small company. For his two hours posing in front of the camera, Kumar got Rs. 5,000, compared to his previous monthly salary of Rs. 4,000. That was one of the main reasons why he chose to be a model. After a couple of months of modelling, Kumar was offered a lead role by producer Pramod Chakravarthy for the movie Deedar.^[6]

Career[link]

1990s[link]

Kumar made his Bollywood acting debut with the 1991 film Saugandh, which was followed by the 1992 thriller film Khiladi. In 1994, his action films Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Mohra were among the highest grossing films of the year.^[8] Later that year, Yash Chopra signed him for the romantic film Yeh Dillagi which was also a success.^[8] He received appreciation for his performance in this film, where he played a romantic role which was different compared to his action roles. He would consequently receive his first nominations for Best Actor award at the Filmfare and Star Screen ceremonies. During the same year, Kumar also had success with films like Suhaag and the low budget action film Elaan. All these achievements, promoted Kumar as one of the most successful actors of the year.^[9]

In 1995, along with his share of unsuccessful movies, he starred in the third film in his Khiladi series Sabse Bada Khiladi, which was a hit.^[10] He proved to have success with the Khiladi series, as in the next year he starred in the fourth successful film with Khiladi in the title, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi opposite Rekha and Raveena Tandon. The film became one of the highest grossing films of the year.^[11]

In 1997, Kumar was seen in a supporting role in Yash Chopra's hit film Dil To Pagal Hai, co-starring Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor, for which he received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award nomination. In the same year, he attempted a comedy role with the fifth film in the Khiladi series, Mr and Mrs Khiladi. Unlike his previous films with Khiladi in the title, the film failed commercially.^[12] In the same way as this film, his next Khiladi releases in the following years went on to fail at the box office. In 1999, Kumar received critical acclaim for his roles in the films Sangharsh and Jaanwar. Whilst the former did not make a profit at the box office, the latter turned out to be a success.^[13]

2000s[link]

Kumar on the sets of Heyy Babyy

In 2000, he starred in the comedy Hera Pheri (2000) which was a commercial success.^[14] He also starred in the romantic film Dhadkan later that same year which performed moderately at the box office.^[14] That same year, he performed some of his most dangerous stunts in Khiladi 420, where he climbed a running plane, stood on top of the plane flying a thousand feet in the air, and jumped from the plane onto a hot air balloon.^[4] In a later scene, he is also seen being chased by a car, dodging bullets, jumping off buildings, and climbing walls.^[15] In 2001, Kumar played a negative role in the film Ajnabee. The film won him much acclaim as well as his first Filmfare Award for Best Villain.^[1] Kumar played a role as role as a blind man in Aankhen.

Following Hera Pheri, Kumar starred in a number of comedy films, including Awara Paagal Deewana (2002) and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004).^[16] and Garam Masala (2005). The films succeeded at the box office^[17][18] and his performance in the latter earned him his second Filmfare Award, for Best Comedian.^[1] Apart from his action, comedy and romantic roles, Kumar displayed a flair for dramatic roles in films such as Ek Rishtaa (2001), Aankhen (2002), Bewafaa (2005) and Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005).^[1] n

In 2004 he starred in Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai. In 2006 he starred in a sequel to Hera Pheri titled Phir Hera Pheri. As was the former, the sequel became a huge success at the box office.^[19] Later that year he starred alongside Salman Khan in the romantic musical Jaan-E-Mann. The film was a well anticipated release, and despite receiving positive reviews from critics, did not do as well as expected at the box office.^[19] Though the film under-performed, his role as a shy, lovable nerd was praised.^[20] He ended the year with the comedy Bhagam Bhag, which was a success.^[19] In that same year, he led the Heat 2006 world tour along with fellow stars Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.^[21]

2007 proved to be Kumar's most successful year during his career in the industry, and as described by box office analysts, "probably the best ever recorded by an actor, with four outright hits and no flops."^[22] His first release, Namastey London, was critically and commercially successful, and his performance earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote of his performance in the film, "he's sure to win the hearts of millions of moviegoers with a terrific portrayal in this film."^[23] His next two releases, Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, were box office successes as well.^[24][25] Kumar's last release of the year, Welcome, did extremely well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster status and simultaneously becoming his fifth successive hit.^[26] All of Kumar's films which released that year did well in the overseas market as well.^[27]

Kumar's first film of 2008, Tashan, marked his comeback to the Yash Raj Films banner after 11 years. Although much anticipated by the public,^[28] the film was a critical and commercial failure. His second film, Singh Is Kinng was a huge success at the box office and broke the first-week worldwide record of Om Shanti Om, the previous highest figure.^[29] His next film was the animated film Jumbo. The year also saw Kumar making his small screen debut as the host of the successful show Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi. He later returned to host the show's second season in 2009.

In 2009, Kumar featured opposite Deepika Padukone in the Warner Bros.-Rohan Sippy production Chandni Chowk to China. Directed by Nikhil Advani, the film was a critical and commercial failure at the box office.^[30] Kumar's next release was 8 x 10 Tasveer. Directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, the film was a critical and commercial failure. His next release was Kambakkht Ishq. Kumar's film Blue was released on 16 October 2009. Blue collected about Rs. 42 crores at the box-office.^[31] His last release in 2009 was Priyadarshan's De Dana Dan.

2010s[link]

Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhudeva at the first look launch of the movie 'Rowdy Rathore'.

He then appeared in the 2010 comedy, Housefull, directed by Sajid Khan which garnered the second-highest opening weekend collection of all time.^[32] Kumar's next release was Khatta Meetha, directed by Priyadarshan which was an average grosser. He also appeared in Vipul Shah's Action Replayy, which was a box office failure.^[33] His last film of 2010 was Tees Maar Khan. In 2011 he starred in Patiala House and Thank You.

He also co-produced a film with Russell Peters titled Breakaway (dubbed into Hindi as Speedy Singhs) which is reminiscent of his own Patiala House.^[34] Breakaway has become the highest-grossing English movie in Canadian history.^[35] Akshay Kumar, recently dubbed for the Hindi version of Hollywood, action blockbuster, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Akshay dubbed for the role of 'Optimus Prime', which is one of the key characters in the film. He took the dubbing role for his son, Aarav, and did so for free.^[36]

His latest film is Rohit Dhawan's Desi Boyz (2011), which co-starred John Abraham, Chitrangada Singh and Deepika Padukone. His first release of 2012 was Housefull 2 which is a sequel to his 2010 successful film Housefull. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was declared Super Hit collecting 181.25 crore (US$36.16 million) at Box Office in 5 weeks. It was also a huge hit in overseas and the biggest Bollywood grosser in New Zealand. Akshay's Rowdy Rathore released on Ist June 2012.^[37] It marks the returns of him in action genre after 7 years.

Personal life[link]

Kumar earlier dated several of his colleagues, such as Shilpa Shetty and Raveena Tandon. After being engaged twice to actress Twinkle Khanna, the daughter of actors Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, he married her on 17 January 2001. Their son named Aarav was born in September 2002.^[1] He stays in shape with a combination of kickboxing, basketball, swimming and other sports, as well as working out at the gym. In the year 2004, he was honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Award for his outstanding achievements in Bollywood. In 2008 the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada awarded him with Honorary Doctrate of Law for his outstanding work in the film industry and contribution to social work. The same year he was named the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People (India) magazine. The following year he was awarded the highest Japanese honour of "Katana" and a sixth degree Black Belt in Kuyukai Gojuryu Karate. He was one of the 15 international celebrities invited for the Olympics torch-bearer rally to Canada.^[38]

Awards and honors[link]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Television appearances[link]

See also[link]

• List of Indian Actors

References[link]

External links[link]

• Akshay Kumar at the Internet Movie Database