Agent producer Anil Sunkara apologises for failure of film: ‘Did a blunder starting the project without a script’

Akhil Akkineni’s latest film Agent has failed at the box office. Directed by Surender Reddy, the film also starred Mammootty, Dino Morea, Sakshi Vaidya and featured Urvashi Rautela in a special song appearance. The long delayed Telugu film only made ₹7 crore on its opening day. One of the producers of the film, Anil Sunkara, took the blame for the film’s rejection by audiences and critics. He admitted it was a mistake to start the film without a bound script. The film was also delayed many times due to COVID-19. (Also read: Amala Akkineni reacts to trolls after son Akhil’s film Agent bombs: ‘I’m sure next one will be bigger and better’)

Producer Anil issued a statement on Twitter, “We have to take the entire blame for #Agent. Though we know its an uphill task, we thought of conquering but failed to do so as we did a blunder starting the project without a bound script & innumerable issues including covid followed. We don’t want to give any excuses but learn from this costly mistake and see how we can turnaround to make sure, we will never repeat the mistakes. Our sincere apologies to all those who put trust on us. We will make it up for the losses with dedicated planning & hardwork in our future projects.”

Fans appreciated his honesty and thanked him for speaking publicly. One fan wrote, “Hatsoff sir. These days hardly any producer accepts failures in public. I wish u learn from mistakes and all the best sir for upcoming projects. I believe u will come back stronger with commercial blockbusters very soon .” Another shared, “Respect for being honest and accepting the result hope you will come back stronger from this learning.” Trade analyst Taran Adarsh also added, “Very rarely have I seen producers/directors/actors accepting failure gracefully… Requires courage to publicly acknowledge failure of your just-released film [#Agent], #AnilSunkara ji… That too within a week of its release… We all learn from our mistakes and am sure, you will bounce back stronger with your next film. #Respect @AnilSunkara1.”

Earlier today, Akhil’s mother, actor Amala Akkineni acknowledged the trolling the film and her son had received. She wrote “I understand that trolling comes from a deeper insecurity and need for achievement. I watched Agent yesterday and honestly enjoyed the film. While it has its flaws, if you watch it with an open mind, you will be amazed. The hall I watched it at was packed, half of the audience were ladies, mothers and grandmothers along with their husbands and sons! . There were screams when the action happened. And I am sure the next one will be bigger and better.”

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