From standing outside Rajesh Khanna’s Aashirwad bungalow dreaming of being a superstar to eventually marrying his daughter, Akshay Kumar’s story is no less filmi than the ones he enacts on screen. But Bollywood’s original khiladi underplays the hardships he faced and says he’ll never allow anyone to pen his biography. Excerpts from a freewheeling chat with the superstar:
What took you so long to work with Karan Johar, even though he’s your wife’s (Twinkle Khanna) best friend?
Yes, they (Karan and Twinkle) are very good friends but that doesn’t mean he should be taking me in his films. It is always about what role works and this role in Brothers suited me, so I did it. It is not like there was a personal vendetta or some fight between us.
When Karan was making films with other big actors, you were delivering hits with relatively lesser known banners and directors. Did you feel you received the outsider’s treatment in his camp?
I don’t think so. Now that you mention, I am wondering did it really happen. But no, honestly, I never think that way.
But your journey has not been an easy one…
Let me tell you, everybody works hard. Tell me one person who doesn’t work hard. The hardest thing is to sustain yourself and to keep changing yourself according to what is required in the industry. Adapting to the changes needs hard work.
The action element in your films continues to be a big draw for the audience…
Bahut badi baat bolne wala hoon. I have seen Brothers and I can tell you that in India there has never been a better action film. I have done so many action films and I have never said this before. I don’t know if people will like it or not but all I can say is that the action is top-notch. This is not the kind of action where actors are performing stunts strapped to a safety harness. This is pure stuff. The computer has not helped me create eight packs for the film. Everything you will see is very real. A lot of hard work has gone into this, I lost so much weight and Sidharth (Malhotra) had to put on so much. It has taken a good amount of toll on both of us and I hope people appreciate it. It will be the best gift for us.
Mixed martial arts is still not a very popular sport in our country. What are your thoughts on that?
It’s nothing like that. People know sports like karate and judo. So basically it’s a combination of karate, judo, aikido, kung fu and boxing. All these things combined together are referred to as mixed martial arts. You fight in the ring with your opponent using all these techniques. It’s just that you cannot hit on the groin and can’t put your fingers in your opponent’s eyes. Besides that, you can hit wherever you want. It is a very violent sport and I wouldn’t advise people to take part in it. I would say watch it and if you have the mindset to do it then go for it.
Akshay, many actors say that it’s really hard for them to match up to your fitness levels. What do you have to say about actors who take shortcuts while trying to build a physique?
There is nothing like a shortcut but somewhere down the line it does take a toll on your body and your health. It is important to take care of yourself no matter what you do. A lot of actors have become products of products. You should only be a product of your parents, not a product of a product.
Speaking of your director Karan Malhotra, who made the blockbuster Agneepath…what do you think of him and his talent?
He is a typical Indian filmmaker and for him his hero is larger than life. He is very rooted in his thoughts and when he makes a film he gives it a contemporary take. He is hungry for emotional films. When he is behind the monitor, there is anger in him. He is completely into the film and he hasn’t even come out to give interviews because he is still involved in it. I think he is a very focussed person.
Films like Bahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan have done some tremendous business. But for a film-crazy nation that we are, we only have 4,000 screens. Do you think it’s time for multiplexes to focus on increasing their count?
Yes, that has to increase. Also, we are the largest film industry in the world but even today we are catering to only four to five per cent of our population. That means we still need to tell a lot more people to buy a ticket and watch films in theatres. Overseas also we can do huge business if we concentrate on the right aspects. My worry is that Hollywood films releasing in India are doing such great business that it has started affecting our film industry. If we don’t focus, there will come a day when we will become like the British film industry. They make movies but their audience prefers to watch Hollywood films. So, that is really dangerous.
The Aashirwad bungalow, (which belonged to the late Rajesh Khanna) has been sold and is going to demolished. Any memories of that place you’d like to share?
I have been there a couple of times to meet my father-in-law (Rajesh Khanna) when he was alive. I have great memories with him. But my favourite memory is from a time when I had still not become an actor. I used to stand outside his bungalow with my parents, waiting to have a glimpse of the great Rajesh Khanna. I never thought that there would come a day when we would be sitting inside the bungalow, sipping tea with him or sharing meals with him and getting married to his daughter (Twinkle). That was a dream come true.
Twinkle has made quite a name for herself as a writer. Do you think she’d make the perfect writer for your biography?
No, she wouldn’t write it, and also and I wouldn’t want to have my biography written at all.
Why?
You have to be too big, too good in life, do some extraordinary work. You must be a legend to have a biography. Only because I have completed 25 years in the industry, that doesn’t mean I need to have a biography now. I would say Mr Bachchan is a legend, you have to be someone like him. Look how much he has achieved in life. I would not even think of a biography on me.
But there are so many aspects of your personality people still don’t know. Like how you still go to your childhood home, late in the night to revisit those memories.
I can just talk about all those things now and people can read them. Uske liye biography chhapne ki kya zarurat hai. (Smiles). I am a practical person. I believe in doing as much work as I can possibly do and try to scale new heights everyday.
