MEN ARE BASICALLY ANIMALS IN SUITS : Akshay Kumar

Khiladi Khan doesn't shy away from the truth of a man's nature. Here, he and his partner in every joy and sorrow, Twinkle Khanna, discuss family, commitments, balancing work and home and their beautiful children

If she is Venus' own daughter, he is an effortless Adonis. But don't be fooled. She can drop the glamorous trappings in a heartbeat, climb onto a dirt bike and charge ahead with a mangled mane into another aesthetic adventure. And he? The khiladi Kumar with an affinity for living on the edge, has notched up 125 masala capers with perhaps as many bombshells, but emerged unscathed. But, by far, the most interesting aspect of this 21st century couple is that just like Twinkle has this inner tomboy, raring to go, Akshay can be convincingly tearful for a love gone astray and serenade the senses out of his women.

"MEN ARE BASICALLY ANIMALS IN SUITS"

The He-Man truly melts hearts not so much with muscle, but with a certain spiritual cleanliness. Ask him, for example, how a renowned khiladi like him made a commitment, and he patiently enlightens, "See, honestly, nearly every man needs to reap the beauty and feminine qualities of as many women as he can respectfully before he gets married, so that when he decides to settle down and commit the rest of his life to the woman of his dreams, he can do so with a full heart and soul, without needing to look over his shoulder, for the years ahead are the ones that matter. They are the ones that he has truly been searching for. Because at the end of the day, a man is a man. We are basically animals in suits; if we are caged too early or remain too inexperienced, all we'll want to do is bite at our collar and bark at every passerby. Let us howl at the moon for a while and eventually, all we'll want to do is create a home where it's safe and warm, full of love that one never thought existed. Unfortunately, the world perceives men as not wanting to settle down; that's not correct at all. We just need to let off some steam first, so that we can become the men our mothers and wives wish for us to be!" He doesn't mind if Twinkle's hair might take another two hours and between shots, saunters over to his twoyear-old baby girl, Nitara, to carry her. "We were all secretly hoping to have a baby girl! Me for sure... I already have the best son a father could dream of; my little girl has completed our family circle and has given a new meaning to the word 'home life!' I am gladly wrapped around her finger, as every father should be.She has reminded me just how precious even the smallest things can be. I can't get enough of her."

"MY WIFE WEARS THE PANTS IN OUR MARRIAGE"

Singh may be king outside the manor, but here, the queen is boss. Admits Akki, "I may be the boss at work, but I have no desire to be the boss at home. My wife and kids tell me what they want, where they want me to take them and what we should do the minute I get home. My wife definitely wears the pants in our marriage, which is a relief, because I can't control my work and my family that's just not me. But my son is the real man of the house. He takes care of both his mom and his little sister more than I can."

As the world at large knows, Twinkle has built her own portfolio as an interior designer and proprietor of her own dcor store, White Window, and as a respected columnist. Being a mom second time around, when life was already full, clearly has called for a bit of adjustment. "From a time of doing over a dozen interior projects a year, I take on just a few because I find it difficult to put in the same hours as I used to. Once Nitara goes to full-time school, I will be able to work at the same pace as before." Twinkle admits to having less energy and far less patience than she had with Aarav. "But my work keeps me on my toes and I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to be able to travel and see what is new and creative all over the world. I don't think motherhood in the Indian context is such a barrier; I went to the Maison&Objet Fair in Paris when Nitara was only five months old and it was not easy to leave her but with terrific family support, it was achievable. In India, the greatest advantage is the support that working women get from their domestic help and families."

"NITARA LOVES THE FUSS AROUND HER, AARAV HAS AN INDEPENDENT STREAK"

Being baby number two, and a girl, Nitara gets what she wants pretty easily. She is also alarmingly precocious in expressing what she desires. "All Nitara has to do, is send my husband a WhatsApp saying, "No have computer... no have iPad... no have iPhone..." and he runs and gets it for her," shares Twinkle, her eyes showing concern more than delight. "She just loves the fuss. You can try different styles with her and she is supremely happy to be the poser!" Akshay, seeing that they aren't quite ready, says in his trademark style, "Take your time," and shuffles off in his safari-print mili tary shirt.

Little Aarav, all of 12, comes across as a young man who already has a well-rounded personality. His features remind us of his legendary grandfather, Rajesh Khan na. "I also study martial arts, but not with dad. I go to a class," he shares, making us imagine a hard-working boy who like his dad, values a mind-body balance. Clear ly, a confident teen-to-be with attitude (the result of an international-style ed ucation), Aarav, Twinkle shares, does not like to see people abusing their bodies or being careless about their health. "He will put water on his naani's cigarettes. And if we have a big party planned, he'd rather not see people drinking themselves silly and tells them to go away!" she laughs.

But on a more sober note, she admits, "Aarav looks a bit like his grandfather; he has the same smile that can light up a room. He has traits that even I look up to, an at titude of not really bothering about what other peo ple think but walking his own path."

Akshay reflects on their balanced or at least rela tively balanced existence. "It's no secret we are a very private family; we don't like to attract attention. We have our favourite places where we swim, wine and dine, which give us peace. The rest (of our time) we enjoy at home. When you live in front of the beach, with a home designed by the greatest interior de signer in India, why would you want to leave it?"