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  I need a change faster than anyone else: Akshay Kumar

I need a change faster than anyone else: Akshay Kumar

Published : Aug 10, 2016, 10:26 pm IST
Updated : Aug 10, 2016, 10:26 pm IST

From action to romance, the ‘Khiladi’ of Bollywood has done it all! He likes re-inventing himself as an actor with every project that he takes up.

Akshay Kumar was in the capital recently
 Akshay Kumar was in the capital recently

From action to romance, the ‘Khiladi’ of Bollywood has done it all! He likes re-inventing himself as an actor with every project that he takes up. Believing that change is essential to grow, Akshay Kumar keeps shifting genres for his films. Even before he gears up for the release of his much-anticipated movie Rustom, the actor has already started working on his next Jolly LLB-2. In a freewheeling chat, Akshay talks about his latest projects, his social media usage, how the action genre has evolved over the years and more.

If you do the required homework before taking up a new project, then a film doesn’t take much time to finish, feels the actor. “Even 50 days is a lot of time to complete shooting for a film. On an average, I take 40 to 45 days to finish my work. A film should not take more than 60 days to finish. However, there are some legendary films, for instance, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani, which was a period drama with a lot of sequences, elaborate sets, etc., and movies like that need a lot of time to wrap up,” says the actor.

Experimenting with roles is what helps Akshay reinvent himself as an actor. “I like to do different genres. Sticking to only comedy or romance or action thrillers becomes very monotonous for me. Everybody requires a change in the kind of work that they do, and since I do 3-4 films, I need a change much faster than anyone else.”

In his Bollywood career of over 25 years, the actor has never played the role of a lawyer, which is why he is excited about Jolly LLB-2. Reportedly, the superstar has demanded a whopping `1 crore per-day fee from the makers. “I have already started shooting for it and we will be wrapping it up by next month or so. I will be playing something that I have never done before — a lawyer and I am excited.”

Talking about his latest film Rustom, a crime-mystery film said to be based on the real-life case of Naval Officer K.M. Nanavati who was tried for the murder of his wife’s lover, Akshay points out the USP of the film: “This is the first time we are showing a woman faltering in a relationship and asking for forgiveness, and the husband decides whether to forgive or not.”

Rustom is the third time the action star has teamed up with producer-director Neeraj Pandey. Talking about their camaraderie, Akshay says, “We are not only good friends but also like to do similar kinds of movies. I like the way Neeraj thinks and I presume he likes the way I am. I don’t know whether he likes my acting talent, it is for him to say but that’s what works for our tuning.”

Akshay, known for his perfect comic timing and action stunts, feels the action thriller genre in Bollywood has evolved a lot over the years. “It certainly has changed a lot. We have action-packed sequences in our films that are done to perfection and we get a lot of help from Hollywood, South Africa, Australia and other countries,” he says.

On a personal note, the actor recently shared a photo of himself and his wife dressed in a retro avatar and called her his ‘bestie’. Talking about his social media savviness, Akshay says, “I am not obsessed with social media and neither do I tweet on a regular basis. I don’t post about everything from ‘taking a right turn from Marriott’ to all such minute details of my life on social media. I use as much as it is needed for both personal and professional purposes. I like to use the online platforms for saying something nice and meaningful to my friends and fans.”