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Akshay Kumar got this pan-India hit after Hollywood action legend rejected, he demanded Rs 100 crore to play..., movie name is...

Akshay Kumar made his grand Tamil debut by playing the main antogonist Dr Pakshirajan in 2.0. However, he wasn't the original choice for the role.

Simran Singh | May 28, 2025, 04:24 PM IST

1.2.0

2.0
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In 2018, Rajinikanth returned as the android-humanoid robot Chitt in 2.0. It was the direct sequel to 2010's Enthiran (Robot in Hindi). 

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2.Akshay Kumar vs Rajinikanth in 2.0

Akshay Kumar vs Rajinikanth in 2.0
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In 2.0, Rajinikanth (Dr Vasikaran and Chitti) battles Dr Pakshirajan (Akshay Kumar), an ornithologist, later a vengeful avian humanoid, who can control cell phones with electromagnetic radiation. He wages war against humans who use cell phones. According to him, the overuse of mobile smartphones is responsible for the extinction of birds. 

3.Akshay Kumar played this role after charging...

Akshay Kumar played this role after charging...
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The role of Pakshirajan went through several rejections, and Akshay wasn't the first choice for the role. Kumar finally came on board for 2.0 after taking Rs 55 crores as his acting fees. 

4.Before Akshay Kumar this Hollywood star was almost finalised

Before Akshay Kumar this Hollywood star was almost finalised
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For the role of Dr Pakshirajan, Shankar reportedly approached Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan, but they both rejected the role. Then the Nayak director turned ambitious, and he decided to rope in Hollywood action legend, The Terminator star, Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2014, Shankar invited Arnold for the music launch of his film I, and at that time, he pitched Arnold the script of 2.0. As per the reports, Arnold liked the script and character, but ultimately, he rejected the film because...

5.Arnold Schwarzenegger asked THIS amount for 2.0

Arnold Schwarzenegger asked THIS amount for 2.0
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As per the reports, Arnold expressed interest in playing the villain in 2.0, but he asked for Rs 100 crore acting fees. Shankar and team 2.0 found his fees too high for the sci-fi hit. Thus, they dropped the idea of Arnold for the movie. And that's how Akshay grabbed the movie. Released in cinemas in 2018, 2.0 earned Rs 723 crores worldwide, against a Rs 543 crores budget. 

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