It’s not the first time that an actor has worn a fake moustache on screen; There was a disclaimer right in the beginning of the film; A group wanted to target actor Akshay Kumar — Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi makes all this clear as he opens up to us on every criticism directed towards his recent film, Samrat Prithviraj.

Commenting on how some reports have projected his recent remarks that the audience boycotted the film due to things Kumar did in the past, Dwivedi tells us, “Two days after the release of the film, I spoke to a lot of people. And I maintained that my faith in Akshay Kumar remains unshakeable. I have done two more upcoming films with him, Ram Setu and OMG Oh My God 2. I feel that my words are being twisted.” He further adds that he has no complaints with the film’s producer, Aditya Chopra either.

Dwivedi claims a section of people wanted to target Kumar, and hence the film didn’t do well at the box office. Admitting he is disappointed at the reception the film got, he says, “There’s a section of people who thinks they have to correct everything! Unhe iss baat se takleef hai ki film mein log tilak kyun laga rahe hain, auratein bindi kyun nahin laga rahi hain. But the visual ornaments which we see women wearing in pictures, that’s a European tradition! These people got annoyed when I tried to set the record straight.”

For people who commented on the language used in the film, Dwivedi says, “Jis bhaasha ko log ‘Urduwood’ ki bhaasha keh rahe hain, voh bhaasha issi desh mein janmi hai. We have translated Prithviraj Raso (a Braj language epic poem about the life of Prithviraj Chauhan), and the author himself writes in that. I wasn’t doing anything different. I was surprised that such a debate arose even.”

He says he always maintained that the film was based on Prithviraj Raso, of which different versions exist. “I said it right in the beginning that it’s based on Raso. Whether Prithviraj Raso is a historical document or not is a debate. A section of historians believe it is, while some say it is not.”

And on the stories that claim Chopra is pinning the performance of Samrat Prithviraj on Kumar’s lack of dedication, like not caring to grow an actual moustache, Dwivedi says, “Aditya (Chopra) has never said this. Is it happening for the first time that an actor has worn a fake moustache? On June 2, I, Aditya and Akshay were together, and Aditya categorically told me that he is happy with the film. He will never say that I failed in my duty. Same is true for Akshay.”