‘We can make better films than Hollywood’

Akshay Kumar is riding high with his latest Gabbar Is Back hitting gold at the box office. Quiz him on the success and the actor is candid enough to admit that luck has played a huge role in his career. “Even today when I walk into studios, I see so many better looking and more talented actors struggling for work. So I’m not shy to admit luck has been on my side. But of course you have to support it with hard work and complete dedication. For a long time I worked for the money, now I have enough of it and I’m one of the highest taxpayers in the industry. So I can pick and choose my projects based on the content.”

His better half Twinkle Khanna may have quit the movies but continues to make news for her witty columns. The doting husband says, “I’m proud of her work. People keep telling me about it and I feature in her columns too. Our daughter Nitara takes after Twinkle.”  

While his co-actors, right from Priyanka Chopra to Irrfan Khan, are all making their presence felt in Hollywood, Akshay Kumar admits that although offers have come in, he’s never been inclined to the West. However, he adds, that if Bollywood had similar budgets, the quality of cinema would have been better than what Hollywood doles out. “I have not been inclined towards Hollywood films but the fact is we don’t have the money to compete with Hollywood. They make films with Rs 300 - Rs 400 crore. Give us that kind of money we will make better films than Hollywood. Hollywood spends so much on graphics and technicalities. They spend one whole year working on just one movie. The actor gets completely into the role and lives the character. We don’t have that kind of money and time. When a film releases in India, we are stuck with just 750 screens worldwide. But don’t underestimate Bollywood, we are huge.”

The actor adds that although the industry works under a lot of restrictions, he’s proud that Bollywood is getting noticed all over the globe. “A few days ago I was in Germany, I was passing through immigration and I told them I’m an actor in Indian films. The officials immediately said, ‘Oh Bollywood!’ So everybody knows about us but the problem is, our films are not released as mainstream cinema abroad. Filmmakers have started taking risks but dark clouds are over the industry at the moment. They will pass, with time.”

He is known to be one of the most disciplined actors in the industry, but off-screen he likes it more relaxed. “I’m not very strict as a person, except when it comes to workouts. I never hit my kids, because my father never did that to us. Only my mother had that privilege. But we were very scared of our father, who was an Army man. We knew that if we don’t behave, we would be punished,” he says. Akshay adds, “I am also an ardent follower of Subhash Chandra Bose and his ideologies.”

Although all of Akshay’s latest films feature him in a serious, no-nonsense avatars, the actor lets us know that he’ll soon get back to comedies (with Sajid Khan’s Housefull 3), which is also his favourite genre in films. However, considering Sajid’s films haven’t been getting the best reviews or fetching box office collections of late, would that be a wise move? “I’m playing a character and it is my take. When critics express their take on movies, nobody questions them. Then why should anyone question me?” Akshay retorts.  With the newer generation of actors crowding up the industry, Akshay is one of the fewer senior actors (besides the Khans) who continue to have a high strike rate at the box office. “There is so much to learn from the younger lot. They all come in prepared and I always look to learn from everyone. Just because I’ve been in the industry for so long, I don’t see myself as someone who knows everything. I’m not a racehorse who feels the need to compete with others all the time,” he says.