Akshay Kumar teams up with Wamiqa Gabhi in Priyadarshan’s horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, and defends her against comparisons with Aishwarya Rai and Katrina Kaif, and praises her remarkable journey in cinema. Wamiqa responds to such labels with humour, while the film, which co-stars Rajpal Yadav, Paresh Rawal, Jishu Sengupta and Tabu, has grossed around Rs 35 crore domestically.
Akshay Kumar teams up with Wamiqa Gabi for Priyadarshan’s latest release, ‘Bhooth Bangla’. In a recent interview, he expressed his strong support for Wamika, taking issue with the ongoing comparisons with Aishwarya Rai and
Katrina Kaif
. Many social media fans are speculating that the new pairing of Akshay and Wumika will echo the spark he had with Katrina on screen.
Wamiya is often compared to Aishwarya because of her attractive eyes. In response, Akshay highlighted how Wamika found her unique journey in the industry.
Akshay Kumar talks about the identity of Wamiqa Gabi
In a recent conversation with Shubhankar Mishra, Akshay said, “Her (Wamika’s) eyes are like Aishwarya Rai’s, but she has her own identity. She does things in her own way. She entered the film industry after a lot of struggle. She has worked in Punjabi films, and now she is working in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil cinema, exploring all genres.”
Omia Gabi’s clever response to the comparisons
Wamiya has also addressed these comparisons with her trademark wit in the past. The social media buzz prompted some to call her “Aishwarya’s daughter” because of their uncanny resemblance. When an influencer quizzed her on the PR angle, she replied, “Talented aur khubsurat bhi? Well, thank you. And paki sab ka pata nahi, but we tried ‘Wamiqa for the next president!'” Approval of nahi hua (talented and beautiful too? Thank you.
“I don’t know about the rest, but we tried ‘Wamica for the next president,’ but it wasn’t approved.”
Details of Akshay Kumar’s Bhooth Bangla movie
Directed by Priyadarshan, Bhooth Bangla features Rajpal Yadav, Paresh Rawal, Jisshu Sengupta and Tabu in pivotal roles along with the leads. This horror-comedy brings together Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan after a gap of 14 years. Despite mixed reviews upon launch, it has grossed nearly Rs 35 crore domestically so far.
The film’s events revolve around London-based Arjun (Akshay) and his sister, who suddenly inherit their grandfather’s wealth and mansion.
Arjun heads to Mangalpur, India, to prepare the palace for his sister’s wedding, but a village legend warns that weddings there will never end, thanks to the bride-snatching spirit of Vadhusur.
Akshay Kumar’s upcoming movie ‘Welcome to the Jungle’
On the work front, Akshay Kumar’s next film is Welcome to the Jungle, directed by Ahmed Khan. It stars Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Lara Dutta, Raveena Tandon, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi and many more. The film will hit theaters on June 6, 2026.