Mumbai: A couple of months after the release and success of Holiday, Akshay Kumar is now arriving with Entertainment. With the actor being back in town after a month-long holiday in the US, he sits for an exclusive tête-a-tête before embarking on a full-fledged promotional tour.
The Rs 100-crore success of Holiday must have felt sweet indeed. Were you expecting it to do so well?
I have witnessed many wholesome films over the years not quite make it at the box office, which can be quite devastating at times. But as much as I loved making this film (for I literally broke bones completing it on time), no one can predict the audience’s response to serious cinema. But this one hit the nail on the head; it captured people’s attention. I couldn’t be more grateful.
And now you arrive with an out-and-out laugh riot , Entertainment...
I have dabbled in serious cinema this year with Holiday, so now it’s time to put my laughing gear on! It is fun to be turning up the volume for a good old summer flick, “doggy style” — pun intended!
When Sajid and Farhad came to you with Entertainment, which has farfetched plot, was your immediate reaction that of acceptance or utter amazement?
After all these years, nothing shocks me anymore! It either excites me, or concerns me. But this proposal was one of the funniest I had heard in a long time. I have so much admiration and faith in Sajid and Farhad. They have an incredible track record; as a matter of fact they have had more hits as writers than most directors have in a lifetime.
While you are giving a break to Sajid and Farhad, you are also reuniting with Sonu Sood years after Singh Is Kinng.
Yes, though I feel health wise, we may be jinxed as a duo. In Singh is Kinng his character was on a wheel-chair for half the film. Now for Entertainment he had just recovered from a major lower leg surgery. In fact for quite some time, he had not even come off his crutches and had iron rods pinned to his leg. I think he is one of the bravest men I have come across in this industry.
