Ranvir is Bollywood's best actor: Akshay Kumar

MIDAS TOUCH: In 2007, Akshay delivered four back to back monstrous hits.

          

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You break into a laugh the moment he appears on the screen, but he’s the one laughing all the way to the bank. In 2007, he delivered four monstrous hits, and the truth is that some of those films weren’t even that good.

But these days, every film he touches, seems to turn into box office gold. CNN-IBN’s Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand talked all things Bollywood with the unstoppable Akshay Kumar.

Rajeev Masand: Akshay, you’ve had four back to back hits — Namastey London, Heyy Babyy, Bhul Bhulaiyya and of course Welcome. Do you have a favourite out of the four?

Akshay Kumar: Do I have a favourite out of the four? Om Shanti Om! But honestly, I really enjoyed Namastey London because it is very much my kind of a film. Bhul Bhulaiyya was also very exciting because it was a different kind of a role. I had never attempted to do something like that.

Rajeev Masand: Blockbuster after blockbuster. What’s the secret success formula?

Akshay Kumar: If you want, I can write down my secret formula so that people remember it all their lives. Okay, first you write Om. That’s what I always do. Then comes dedication, which is followed by talent. Subtract arrogance. Divide it by luck. That is equal to hit machine. But, tell you what, prayers work much better than this formula or maths.

Rajeev Masand: Out of the films that you did last year, most of them didn’t even get great reviews, yet they were blockbusters. Is there a part of you that still wants to win over critics, or is it not important because the films are working anyway?

Akshay Kumar: Honestly, tell me something. Shouldn’t I go for something which people enjoy? I don’t care what critics have to say about it. One or two times, you have also written something bad about me, but I don’t care about that. I really like my people and want my audience to be entertained. I want to make them laugh. They come and spend 150 rupees on a ticket. What do they want? Koi ro ke nahi jaana chahta yaar. (Nobody wants to leave the movie hall feeling sad.) Everybody wants to laugh.

Rajeev Masand: You’re the only actor in 2007 who gave four back to back hits...

Akshay Kumar: Four and a half.

Rajeev Masand: Four and a half, yes. You were in Om Shanti Om as well. Tell me, why no awards?

Akshay Kumar: Now that’s a really tricky question. To me awards don’t matter. For me it’s more about rewards. I go, perform, get paid, and I am very happy about it. Beyond that, I don’t care.

Rajeev Masand: They say you are one of the highest paid actors in Bollywood. 17 crore rupees per film...

Akshay Kumar: You’ve done this to me before. See the thing is the cost of tickets has increased. Pehle kahan ek movie dekhne ka chaalis rupay lagte tha aur ab ek sau pachaas. Popcorn bhi nahi dete saath main wo. (Remember the time we used to buy movie tickets for forty rupees? Now, we pay 150 rupees for watching a film and don’t even get free popcorns!)

Rajeev Masand: So you think it’s justified?

Akshay Kumar: Yes, it is justified.

Rajeev Masand: The minute you walk into a scene, people break into laughter. You’re this really funny guy on screen. Are you a funny guy in real life as well?

Akshay Kumar: I don’t think people laugh when I just walk into a frame.

Rajeev Masand: I think in Bhul Bhulaiyya, the audience was waiting for you. You come fairly late into the film — after 47 minutes.

Akshay Kumar: My son thinks I am quite funny, whereas my wife thinks I am not. She doesn’t laugh at my jokes at all. She doesn’t like them.

Rajeev Masand: Well, the audience laughs at your jokes.

Akshay Kumar: Well I was hoping them to be on my son’s side.

Rajeev Masand: Something that I have heard a lot about you is that Akshay is not afraid of trying or taking chances. Few people know that, in the name of taking chances and in the name of work, you have done a lot of scary things. You’ve jumped off buildings, wrestled with professional WWF wrestlers, and even gone swimming with the sharks! What’s ironical is that the scene was cut out of the film, wasn’t it?

Akshay Kumar: Yes, there was some problem with the whole thing.

Rajeev Masand: Was swimming with the sharks scary?

Akshay Kumar: It was not scary when I thought about swimming with the sharks. I thought everything will be okay. But when I was about to jump, the instructor cautioned to me to not play around much as about seven days back a shark had taken out some other visitor’s hand. The instructor tells me just as I am about to jump in!

Rajeev Masand: Did you have any second thoughts?

Akshay Kumar: Well you know, I looked around and saw that a lot of people, including my fans, were there. And I’m a man. I had to do it. I really was scared. I thought, Bahot log dekh rahe hai. Badi insult hogi yaar. (A lot of people are watching me. It will be very insulting if I don’t go now.)

Rajeev Masand: What was the moment when you felt most afraid in your career, I mean as far as stunts are concerned?

Akshay Kumar: There was a film called Khiladi 420. I had to catch this running plane and climb it. People are scared of sitting inside a plane, and like a stupid man I am standing on top of a plane. And then I’m supposed to jump from that plane, after it is a thousand feet up in the air, onto a hot air balloon. I did it in one shot. I was wearing a parachute. After that, I promised myself that I will never do such a thing. It’s not a great thing to do. I did it because maybe there was something loose inside my head.

One thing I must tell you all is that don’t try these things. Day before yesterday, my son tried to go through a glass door. He’s only five! He banged his head on the door and fell down. I said what are you trying to do! He said, “Daddy, aapne kiya tha. Maine dekha tha. (Daddy, I saw you doing that once.)” I said don’t ever try to do that.

Rajeev Masand: Akshay you could kill a person with your bare hands.

Akshay Kumar: Why would I do that?

Rajeev Masand: When was the last time you got into a real fight?

Akshay Kumar: I never get into fights. I don’t like fights. I don’t enjoy it. I try to avoid it.

Rajeev Masand: Akshay, now a round in which I ask you a couple of quick questions. You don’t get a lot of time to think. You just give me quick answers, whatever comes first to your mind.

Akshay Kumar: Okay.

Rajeev Masand: The last time you cried while watching a film?

Akshay Kumar: A Thai film called Jumbo. It was about a father and a son. Me and my son were watching it. We both cried. It is a really emotional animated film about an elephant.

Rajeev Masand: The last you saw such a fantastic performance that you called him or her to compliment them on their work.

Akshay Kumar: I called up Ranvir for Mithya. I think he was brilliant in that film. He is the best actor I have seen in Bollywood.

Rajeev Masand: An old film of yours that you saw on cable or DVD that made you cringe in embarrassment?

Akshay Kumar: I think 70 per cent of my old films do that to me. My son doesn’t find anything embarrassing in them. He loves my movies.

Rajeev Masand: The last time you borrowed money from someone?

Akshay Kumar: This morning... from my wife. I needed it to give it to somebody.

Rajeev Masand: The last time your wife yelled at you?

Akshay Kumar: This morning, for borrowing money.

Rajeev Masand: The one person you go to for advice when you can’t make up your mind about something?

Akshay Kumar: I go to Saif Ali Khan because whatever advice he gives me, I just don’t follow it.

Rajeev Masand: What will you do if you ran into an ex-girlfriend while you are with your wife?

Akshay Kumar: That’s happens quite frequently. Well, I just meet them and ask them about their husband and children. That’s all.

Rajeev Masand: The last time you felt old?

Akshay Kumar: Yesterday when I was going for my show, my son’s friend called me uncle...and I slapped him.

Rajeev Masand: Akshay something that I have heard a lot about you is that there’s never a dull moment when Akshay’s around.

Akshay Kumar: Whenever Bipasha Basu complains that she is tired I tell her Aur bol maan ko ki mujhe heroin ban na hai. Bahot aasaan hota hai jaa ke AC gaadi main baith jao. (Yes, do you see how convincing your mother to let you become an actress wasn’t a good idea? You thought it was only about going and relaxing in air-conditioned cars.) No, truth be told, it is very difficult to be in this industry and work as an actor. It is a very difficult job.