“Every Collaboration Is About Redefining Ourselves”: Producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah Talks Reuniting with Akshay Kumar for Alien-Survival Thriller Samuk!

Akshay Kumar has officially begun shooting for Samuk, a massive survival-action thriller directed by Kanishk Varma and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah alongside co-producer Aashin A. Shah. Built on a scale designed for a grand pan-Indian theatrical release, the project has been in development for over two years, combining military realism, survival horror, and alien mythology. To bring this world to life, the filmmakers have brought on top international talent, including Academy Award-nominated creature designer Alec Gillis (Alien, Predator) to build the central monster, and British action director Luke Tumber to design the film’s intense action sequences.

The film marks another major milestone in the long-standing dynamic between Akshay Kumar and Vipul Amrutlal Shah. Over the years, Shah has built a reputation for tracking audience instincts while constantly taking big creative risks. Rather than playing it safe with predictable formulas, his collaborations with Akshay have spanned wildly different genres, each time offering moviegoers a fresh experience on the big screen.

Speaking about their decision to team up once again and why their creative partnership continues to work so well, producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah shared: “The reason Akshay and I keep coming back to each other is that we have never wanted to make the same film twice. Every time we collaborate, the goal is to break our own mold, whether it was taking a risk with a heist thriller like Aankhen, exploring emotional drama with Waqt, capturing iconic romance in Namastey London, bringing massive action-comedy in Singh Is Kinng, experimenting with sci-fi in Action Replayy, or delivering military action in Holiday. We constantly challenge each other to step into unexplored territory. Reuniting for Samuk, which is an alien-survival thriller, proves yet again that we always bring something different to the table.”

With Samuk, the duo is pushing those boundaries even further. By combining a classic movie star presence with world-class creature design and practical action, the film aims to deliver a grounded, thrilling theatrical experience that introduces Indian cinema to a whole new level of sci-fi action.

By Keerti Kadam