Akshay Kumar is one of the few stars who is silently working towards making lives of drought-hit farmers better. Sources say he has slashed his endorsement by half.
The superstar was signed on by the makers of a concentrated drink mix and when the team was renewing his contract, they put forth a request. He was told the production had taken a hit due to the drought.
"They informed him the drought has hampered their production since they procure raw material like fruits from farmers. Many farmers have either lost their crops or have not got enough returns. The company is suffering losses and so, they requested him to consider a fee cut," a source in the know told Mid-Day.
Akshay, apparently, readily agreed to cut down on his charges. He was being paid a massive Rs 10 crore for the deal, which has now been reduced to Rs 5 crore.
"When he heard about the company's situation, he immediately agreed to take slash his fee. The company is planning to re-launch their product in the market with a new campaign and Akshay is likely to shoot their new commercial in a few days," the source further added.
Akshay has never openly discussed his philanthropic activities and probably will never confirm this development too, which is why the news can, at best, be considered a speculation.
Last year, he showed reluctance in talking about the amount (Rs 90 lakh) he had donated to distressed farmer families in Maharashtra. He told the Indian Express that he felt stupid talking about such "acts."
"It's embarrassing to answer all these things. I have never spoken about it. There is not point in me saying something like I was reading the newspaper and a thought struck or something of that sort. There is nothing to talk about it," he had told the leading daily.
Akshay is gearing up for "Housefull 3," which arrives in theatres June 3. Directed by Sajid-Farhad, the comic caper features Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri and Lisa Haydon in key roles.
