John Abraham jumps to Sonakshi's defence on Akira

In September, Sonakshi Sinha was seen in her maiden solo lead in the action film Akira, directed by AR Murugadoss of Ghajini (2008) fame. The film, made at a budget of Rs30 crore, was launched with great fanfare but could collect just Rs46 crore worldwide. Domestic collections barely touched Rs34 crore.

Asked why the film did not do as well as was expected, Sinha disagreed, But before she could answer, her Force 2 co-star John Abraham jumped to her defence.

“The box office wasn't bad," John said. "I'm not defending her. [But] for a solo film to do that kind of business in a day when you say woman-centric films cannot do that kind of business, Sonakshi's film has done good business. I'm speaking from the point of view of a producer. If you take into account the cost of production vis-a-vis revenues, Akira is a hit."

Sinha also refused to speak about the average reviews the film received, and chose to focus on her own part. "I feel that I achieved a lot more than I expected from the film. I got to work with a great director, I got to do action for the first time. My performance was appreciated. Today producers believe I can carry a solo film on my shoulders. So for me it was a plus.”

To be sure, Sinha has another solo-lead film lined up. Noor is slated to be released in 2017.