How does it feel being a Padma Shri awardee?
It was a great honour and great opportunity. My family was very proud of me, and my sister, wife and mother were also present at the ceremony.
Does it bring on added responsibility? Your unbuttoning act got some flak…
India has many bigger problems than Akshay unbuttoned. I came to know that the guy who has filed cases on several celebrities. God bless him. On the bright side, Levis sales have gone up (from Rs 3 crore to Rs 10 crore).
The line ‘Women are good for just one thing’ in KI is also reported to have upset people.
In the film I am playing a character of a male chauvinistic pig. It is about how he improves and understands that women are a greater species. It is about that journey, the transformation between two contradictory beliefs. Personally, I say if men are from Mars, women are from Heaven.
The most exciting part about KI would be?
The fact that I performed stunts for Superman Brandon Routh, shared screen space with Sylvester Stallone, romanced Denise Richards and worked with the most dazzling and gorgeous Indian actor Kareena Kapoor…and that I got to shoot at Kodak Theatre, Universal Studio, all in one film. What more can a man hope for?
Any memorable moments from the KI shoot?
My interaction with Stallone. I am a very reserved person but he just came and opened up.
He told me he’s scared of heights and still did a movie like Cliffhanger! I told him how lucky he was to have had safety measures (while performing stunts) in place while we, till a few years ago, had none. We’d jump on boxes, hurt our knees etc. He called me a madman and I said yes, back home they call me the same thing. And we spoke about Thailand because he shot most of his Rambo films there and I worked and trained there for martial arts.
What about Denise and Brandon?
Denise is beautiful; she delivered exactly what was asked of her by the director. As for Brandon, there was a scene wherein Brandon is playing himself and Kareena is supposed to walk past him. He tells me - “Now look at this, she will come to me and ask for an autograph’ but Kareena just walks past him. No other actor would do such a scene but that man did , without any questions.
What is different about Hollywood actors as compared to Bollywood stars?
They are very professional. For them the director is God, and they have to follow what he says. They obviously need their lines a week before. They are also very punctual and don’t retire to their respective vans after their shots.
What can people watch out for? Also, are you nervous?
Plenty, but there is a sequence in which Stallone lands up right in time to defend Kareena, and then sequences of Kareena and I fighting in the church and one in the hospital.
And yes, I am very nervous. I presume it’s a package - you become nervous a month before your hard work is put to the test. It’s like appearing for board exams four or five times every year. It’s a very commercial film, a typical entertainer. I believe this should do well.
Your earlier films this year didn’t do well. What went wrong?
I am very proud of 8 X 10 Tasveer -it was more of an artistic film and we all know the fate of films that are more art inclined. I was more disappointed with Chandni Chowk To China as I had expected it to do better business. I think the climax of the film was wrong because people were expecting more fights.
So the image of being an entertainer sticks? Also, do masala movies work better for you?
Entertainments is huge, so it’s wonderful being called an entertainer. I have done serious films, action, romance and comedy, which have all done well and all of this boils down to being an entertainer, really. To me, entertainment is the most essential thing in a movie.
Which is the most difficult film that you have done this year?
Blue is the most difficult film that I have done in terms of all the stunts. I went to Bangkok for training in deep-sea diving. There were 40 sharks but I just wanted to do it. I won’t deny that it was a little scary - you are 120 feet down underwater -you are in their territory but they are allowing you to come into their territory. The first three or four days were fine but after that I would hope that each day went well. Blue is India’s first underwater film and it’s amazing.
Which films are you looking forward to this year?
Blue certainly, and then Three Idiots and Kaminey that I want to watch.
Action Replay, De Dana Dan, Blue are an impressive number of films that you have finished this year. What else is in the pipeline?
I go and work and don’t yap. I finish work and come back home. We are in talks for Desi Boys with John and me. Rohit Dhawan is directing it. Also there are three or four movies in the pipeline that are still in the process of being written.
And now it’s time for vacations?
Absolutely. Every year I have 65 days of vacation and 300 days of work. During holidays I have to take care of my family so I become the spotboy, but it’s great fun.