Mumbai: Being actor Vinod Khanna’s nephew, Akhil Kapur could have taken an easier route to establish himself in the Hindi film industry. The 28-year-old actor, who’s making his debut in Anand Kumar’s action drama Desi Kattey, chose a longer route instead. Ahead of his film’s release, Akhil talks about how his uncle has inspired him to be an actor and why Indian action movies need a makeover.
Akhil knew from the very beginning that he wanted to be an actor. And why not, when he has such a dashing uncle in Vinod Khanna. “Uncle has inspired not just me, but many in the family. It’s been my dream to be in the movies. I wanted to understand exactly how films are made and understand the chaos on the sets, how a shot is placed, and it’s for this reason I studied filmmaking and acting in New York,” he shares.
After that, Akhil worked with Abbas Mastan on Race, and Excel Entertainment’s Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd. “It’s been a great learning curve for me, I wouldn’t like to call it a struggle period. Assisting on films after I completed my course was the best experience. It was truly overwhelming! Abbas and Mastan sir taught me a lot, they patiently answered all my questions. I’d often accompany Akshaye to his film sets and watch him perform. I’ve learnt a lot.”
Interestingly, his ambition isn’t just restricted to being on the screen, but also includes directing films in the future. “It’s my dream to be a director and make films. I hope to do that in the future soon.”
Talking about how Desi Kattey is the best launch film for him, Akhil reveals, “I met Anand nearly two-and-a-half years ago, when he was filming Zila Ghaziabad. He had heard that I’d love to do an action film, and he made me watch his films. He called me later saying he has a film for me. But when he narrated the script to me, I told him I want to play something different. It’s then he narrated the script of Desi Kattey, and I was bowled over. I wanted to play Pali, who is a gangster in the film. Anand asked me to come for a screen test, and I was selected.”
While most newcomers prefer to have a safe launch, Akhil was sure he wanted to do something different. “I had offers of romantic films, but I wanted to play a character with a dark shade, someone who people would love to hate.” Born and raised in Dubai, Akhil says getting into the skin of the character took some time. “I had to work on Pali’s diction, but by the end of it, I connected with the character. Pali is a passionate guy just like me.”
Akhil is equally passionate about martial arts and says he wants to change the face of action movies. “If someone gives me a chance, I’d like to show what a true action movie is. Everyone here is a gymnast apart from few like Vidyut Jamwal, who showed his best in Commando, and Suniel Shetty, who I would say is one actor who showed how a technical fight is done in films.”
