Akshay Kumar reveals the unexpected reason he refuses to retire: 'My family asks when I’m...'

Akshay Kumar has responded to ongoing speculation about his retirement from films. Speaking at the trailer launch event of Welcome To The Jungle, the actor made it clear that he has no immediate plans to step away from work despite occasionally thinking about it.

Addressing the topic with humour, Akshay admitted that the idea of retirement crosses his mind early in the morning but never lasts for long. “It happens at 4 in the morning, when I wake up. But after five seconds, I remember that I have to go for a shooting. After that, I remember that 300 people are waiting for me and I have to go to the set. So, it happens for five seconds. Then I think that I’ll retire the next day. Then I wake up at 4 in the morning and it repeats. So, 36 years have passed by doing this,” he said.

The actor also joked about what life would look like if he stopped working. “What will happen if I retire? I’ll get a job as an electrician sitting at home. I’ll become a dog walker. I’ll become a gardener. I’ll get all the household chores. I think it’s better that I go to work. I won’t retire. That will be better,” he added.

When asked whether he would like to spend more time with his family, Akshay revealed that he had already experimented with taking time off but the experience did not go as planned. Recalling the reaction at home, he said, “It happens. I have tried. After a day, they said, ‘Son, when will you go to work? When will you go to work?’ That’s it. So, it’s like this. It’s better to keep working.”

The actor also shared his thoughts on the concept of retirement itself. “Honestly, I think the word is wrong – retire. A person should retire only when they have five seconds left to die. While dying, he’ll say, ‘Brother, I’m retiring.’ That will be better. Don’t worry about retirement. Keep working. If you want a long life, keep working,” he said.

Akshay has been active in Hindi cinema for over three decades and continues to maintain a busy schedule with multiple projects lined up.