Akshay Kumar's opting out of "Barsaat" resulted in huge losses for Suneel Darshan, but the director still swears by his "Dosti" (friendship) with the actor - and that's also the film the two are still working on.

"The equation between us hasn't changed due to 'Barsaat' and it is unlikely to change. Akshay is a gem of a person and I am happy for him that he is going places," Darshan was quoted as saying, dispelling rumours the two aren't in sync any more.

However Darshan does admit he felt let down when Akshay opted out of his film. "But it is not just the filmmaker in me who felt disillusioned. Akshay had become a habit with me. We had grown and succeeded together in our career, so it hurt a lot," he said.

According to Darshan, he took Akshay's decision in his stride since repeated date cancellations had badly affected the progress of the film.

"I saw that he was very regretful about what had happened. I am sure that he must have tried his level best to allot dates for the film," Darshan added.

If anything, Suneel is hoping that Akshay will compensate him for "Barsaat" losses. "It is entirely up to him and what he feels about it," he said.

Happily, Akshay is shooting for Darshan's underproduction "Dosti".