The period prior to the producer–multiplex strike, saw the release of his next major movie 8x10 Tasveer where he starred opposite Ayesha Takia. Even though the film saw no competition and the strike dragged for a solid two months, this film turned out to  be a dud from day one. There were simply no takers for the film. More tongues were wagging and Akshay was in the line of fire. Serious concerns were being raised about his ability to carry off a movie.

The strike is now over. July is here and New York is going great guns. Kambakht Ishq was touted as the next sure-fire hit. The near ‘zero’ was acting opposite the size-zero Kareena Kapoor. What more could be asked for? Going by first day opinions of viewers, the movie is showing all signs of heading south. Saturday and Sunday should complete the flop show.

All three movies were released within three months of each other. They were well paced out. Yet viewers chose to stay away from them. Critics say, Akshay is a flash in the pan. His earlier successes rode on the deliberate appeal to NRI desis and the popularity of Katrina Kaif. These projects had a strong Punjabi backing. His latest offerings have none of those concessions.

Some say he has bitten off more than he could chew and that this may be a case of too much too soon. Too much is being expected from him. No doubt he saw great success in 2007 and 2008. But now it's a down slide. Being the highest taxpayer last year must have been a new high for him but at the current rate, he is probably not going to repeat that feat. He may soon get a taste of the truth that “success is fickle”.

Akshay has eight releases this year, and with three flops already over, that means the next five months will see a release each month – Blue, De Dana Dan, Helloo India, Action Replay and Khatta Meetha. In the current flop scenario, everyone is tight-lipped on the fate of future releases. Till New York, Katrina was said to be riding on Akshay’s success bandwagon. But with New York, she has proved her calibre. She is now the uncrowned queen of Bollywood. Akshay’s De Dana Dan will see him starring opposite Katrina again. Will this movie bring relief to him and also prove who is piggy-riding on whom?

Katrina is his lucky mascot. He has acted in his best hits with her. The future release will make the stand clear and we won’t have to wait long to see the result as September is not very far. Some say, greed has played a major role in his downfall. There was no reason for signing eight releases in a year. How can he do justice to each one of them? And early next year, two more releases – Housefull and Komagata Maru – await release. On Akshay’s part, it is overkill.

Even Hrithik Roshan has a single release or no release in any given year. That makes viewers eagerly await his films. In Akshay’s case, quality has been overtaken by quantity. He should realise if his movies don't fill up the cinema halls, the producers will stay away from his door. It must be remembered that he is no mighty Khan to survive random flops let alone a spate of flops. In Salman’s case, although Yuvraaj was a flop, his die-hard fans still looked forward to his next release Wanted. And why not? He rarely disappoints. Wanted currently has excellent pre-release reports. He has proved time and time again that his flops are a flash in the pan. In Akshay’s case however, they are becoming a regular occurrence.

Akshay should take stock of the situation. He is fast approaching his mid-40s, and age is no longer on his side. This is the age of Hrithik, Himesh, Ranbir and Imran. Without a much needed hit, he won’t find favour with producers. He should set his priorities right. He cannot guarantee success unless in combination with Katrina. Also he should pace out his releases so that viewers look forward to them. Since he has gone down will with that audience, the strong NRI Punjabi lobby should be catered to. His being a Punjabi helps too.

Is Akshay Kumar listening (reading this)? Nothing succeeds like success but the prospect of hero to zero is just another flop away. In fact, with the flops he's had already, where would Akshay be after yet another? A question indeed.