With hectic nation-wide promotions, Akshay Kumar and Tamannaah Bhatia made a quick stop in Hyderabad on Monday to promote their upcoming film, Entertainment. They were in the city for a little over half-an-hour. In 30 minutes, the lead duo packed in interviews, a random dance and well, not much information.
While Tamannaah looked gorgeous in a blue crop top and palazzo pants, Akki turned up in a tracksuit and it looked as if a dog had had a go at his pants — one leg was rolled up to the knee and a few surprised photographers were seen trying to tell the actor that something was off. And soon, came the questions.
When asked whether acting with established South stars Tamannaah and Kajal Aggarwal was an attempt to create a “pan India” fan base, Akshay said, “You are forgetting Shruti Haasan and Asin. It’s not about a pan-India image, I’m very lucky to have got the opportunity to work with these actresses.” And then Akshay, in an exact same dialogue from a previous interview said, “South stars have a strong sense of professionalism that goes in their favour.”
Amid repeated talks of the dog, Junior, in the film and Akshay’s pets at home and how the film inspired Tamannaah to get a dog for herself, we asked Tamannaah about her expectations from the film, especially after the debacle of Humshakkals. “I feel great to be a part of this movie. It was great working with Akshay,” she says.
But a question on pranks almost outdid Tamannaah and the perfectly-crafted press conference. When Akshay was asked if he had treated his co-star to the usual set of surprises, he let the clueless co-star take it. After saying “no” initially, Tamannaah quickly gathered her wits and said: “Actually, yes. A few here and there and I don’t think I minded that. He lightens up the mood on the sets with these pranks and we ended up having a lot of fun.”
And when Tamannaah slipped into Telugu while talking about her experience on the sets, Akshay butted in: “Tamannaah, the questions are all in Hindi and English, why do you keep answering in Telugu? Are you trying to show off? Should I also start talking in Punjabi?” Not to be put off, the actress replied, “These are my people and I want to ensure that they are not left out.
“It’s not like they don’t understand Hindi and English, but it’s for all our viewers.” And sure enough, she got a round of applause. About his favourite aspect of Hyderabad, Akshay said predictably: “Khaana. Biryani. My friend has packed a lot of stuff for me which I’m going to relish on my flight to Bengaluru,” pointing to his buddy in the crowd. Later, the two stopped for 10 minutes at the freshers’ party of Hamstech before literally, rushing to catch their flight.
