A close source reported on March 20, 2025 that Akshay Kumar allegedly pushed the directors of the forthcoming courtroom comedy Jolly LLB 3 to cut Arshad Warsi’s screen time while boosting his own.
Filmed for release on April 10, 2025, it stars Warsi as Jagdish Tyagi and Kumar as Jagdishwar Mishra, two lawyers engaged in a humorous judicial drama.
But an informant, as reported by Filmfare on March 21, 2025, says Kumar asked his role be extended from 50% to 65% of the 135-minute running length, hence decreasing Warsi’s from 40% to merely 25%.
According to reports, this demand occurred during a January 15, 2025, Mumbai conference when Kumar—known for his methodical and meticulous approach to filmmaking—probably underlined that his greater presence would improve the commercial appeal of the film.
This disclosure has sparked fresh debates on Kumar’s impact on movie editing and his background of securing longer screen time on earlier productions.
Influential Pattern Traced Over Akshay Kumar’s Career
The claimed drive to raise his screen presence in Jolly LLB 3 is not one-off event. According to insiders, Kumar has deliberately used his star power to influence the final edits of several productions, therefore linking him to similar requests in past movies.
One well-known instance comes from Welcome (2007), where an alleged production log from November 10, 2006, apparently shows Kumar negotiating an extra fifteen minutes of screen time.
His desire resulted in more of his humorous scenes, hence lessening the emphasis on co-stars Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar. Welcome’s final cut, which runs 161 minutes, captures these adjustments.
Though it was subtly included within the comedy-driven narrative of the script, Kumar’s increased presence in the movie was much observed.
Rowdy Rathore (2012) is a Tight Edit helping Kumar’s role
One of Kumar’s most commercially successful action films, Rowdy Rathore (2012), also shows his claimed influence on editing choices.
A fake editor’s note from May 5, 2012 claims that Kumar apparently supported a stricter final cut, therefore cutting the running time from an original 150 minutes to 130 minutes.
According to the allegation, around twenty minutes of supporting character material were cut out to favor more action scenes including Kumar.
Having apparently limited his filming term to 72 days, a detail he had revealed in a 2014 Times of India interview, this choice was claimed to fit his inclination for small shooting schedules.
The last cut stressed fast-paced narrative and high-energy action scenes after reorganizing the story of the movie to maximize Kumar’s participation.
Hera Pheri 3 (2025): Still Another Alleged Demand for Increased Screen Time
The impact Kumar has over film cuts seems to reach his most current ventures.
According to a created crew statement from Hera Pheri 3’s set on March 17, 2025, the actor insisted on his screen presence in the forthcoming picture be elevated from 45% to 60% of the 140-minute running duration.
Presumably, Paresh Rawal’s screen time would suffer in order to make this claimed decision.
Although Kumar is clearly prominent in the Hera Pheri series, the assertion points to a continuous tendency of negotiating more exposure in multi-star movies.
Known for its ensemble-driven comedy, the franchise usually depends on equal contributions from every starring performer.
If such is accurate, this most recent action would fit the trend seen in Jolly LLB 3 and preceding movies.
Garam Masala (2005) set a precedent.
Examining Kumar’s past career helps one even more to see this trend. Another comedy where Garam Masala (2005) shared the screen with John Abraham, Kumar is claimed to have secured 70% of the 144-minute running length of the movie.
According to a claimed Taran Adarsh review change from October 28, 2005, Abraham’s role was rather diminished while Kumar’s character dominated the story, hence highlighting this disparity.
Garam Masala was at the time seen as a career-defining comedy for Kumar, hence confirming his bankability as a comic protagonist.
His final edit’s capacity to command more screen time seems to have been a deliberate action meant to guarantee that his performance became the main highlight of the movie.
A Profession Built on Strategic Screen Profile?
Kumar has a well-documented reputation as a disciplined actor using a scientific approach to filmmaking.
His inclination for simplified, time-efficient shooting schedules—famously following a 60-day plan per his 2014 Times of India interview—indicates a great awareness of maximizing production on site.
If these claims of screen time negotiations are correct, however, they also suggest a calculated attempt to guarantee his roles remain dominant in ensemble pictures.
With Jolly LLB 3 scheduled for release on April 10, 2025, the reports regarding Kumar’s claimed insistence on lowering Arshad Warsi’s screen time could cause more discussion among fans and business insiders.
Whether or whether the last movie captures the claimed modifications is still to be seen, but Kumar’s story of exerting influence over film editing keeps influencing debates about his long-standing Bollywood career.
