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"I want to do negative roles" - Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar competes only with himself. Filmfare listens in to the actor's ambitious plans on reinventionMore on: Filmfare, Akshay Kumar
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Written By Raghuvendra Singh
Features Writer & Copy Editor (Hindi)
Posted Tue, May 21, 2013RATE STORY
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Q. The year began on a great note, with Special 26 being well-received at the box-office and critics…
Last year was good too. Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore and Khiladi 786 were hits. Only Joker didn't do too well. But yes, Special 26 has given me a great start this year. Let's see how it goes with Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai 2 (OUATIM2) - whether it's liked or not.
Q. For someone who plays larger-than-life characters, was the middle-of-the-road Special 26 risky proposition?
No. It was made within a certain budget. My remuneration was also in keeping with that. I believe that you should only burden a film as much as it can bear. The film had a superb start. There was no risk involved in this film. I want to do films where the directors pay attention to the characters, screenplay and dialogue; films that are close to reality. I don't want to work in over-the-top or larger-than-life films.
Q. But aren't all your films of the latter kind?
Not Special 26! That's the film I did as an example to prove what I'm capable of. Even Oh My God! involved a certain amount of risk. Playing God and making a comic film about religion was a risky subject. But I did it.
Q. So are you trying to break an image?
Yes, I am. And I'm doing it deliberately. But soon I'll be seen in OUATIM2 and Boss. Both are larger-than-life. What I want is that when the media or public talk about Akshay Kumar, they shouldn't give him a label. They shouldn't limit Akshay to being just an action hero or playing comic roles or doing realistic cinema. I ensure that I do all kinds of films. There should be no labels assigned to me. I'm not in love with any particular label.
Q. But your action films and comedies have done well of late.
Yes, I've done it all. But now, I have to mix and match my roles because even the audience can get bored watching you doing the same thing. Even an actor gets tired of repeating himself. There was a time when I did a lot of comedy, one after another… Housefull, Hera Pheri, Garam Masala… it had become too much.
Q. It's been long since you did a romantic film…
Yes, it's been really long. But I'm doing a romantic film next year. Everything is finalised now. As I just told you, I am not going to stop at one particular place. I have to do horror, I want to do negative roles; I am keen on doing comedy, romance and even tragedy. I want to do a common man's story as well. If you start counting, there are no less than 50-70 genres and one can always re-shuffle one's choices.
Q. Are you looking for directors who could give you that fresh canvas?
I have nothing else to do in life. I wake up in the morning thinking about films and sleep with films on my mind. I have worked with many new directors. For example, Umesh Shukla, who directed Oh My God! For me, even Neeraj Pandey (Special 26) was new although this was his second film.
Q. After the release of 8x10 Tasveer, you said that barely '1/2 a person' came to watch it and so you wouldn't be doing such experimental films any more…
Exactly, why should I do such a film? But if you make it in the right manner and view it in terms of it doing well commercially too, then we can actually make such films. At that time, I thought, 'Why should I do such a film?' But now I say, "Why shouldn't I?" It takes time to understand how to make it work. You don't necessarily have to construct a sea-facing building; you can stay away from the sea and yet construct a building with beautiful surroundings.
Q. This seems to be a new Akshay Kumar…
You learn new things all the time. For example, years ago, I used to say that I will never turn a producer, but later I became one. Today, if you ask me whether I'll turn to direction, I'll say, 'Absolutely not; never!' But who knows, maybe two years later you'll say 'now you are directing a film!' That's why I don't want to be trapped in a single image. I want to create different images for myself and that's why I am doing varied work. The fact is that today one has to follow the mindsets of youngsters. My son Aarav (11) tells me, "Dad, I didn't like this movie of yours. Let me show you something I watched with my friends." When you watch something new, your own ideas evolve. You realise that you don't want to do certain things anymore.
Q. Does Aarav share a comfortable relationship with you?
Absolutely! He's my friend. His friends are my friends. Children must maintain a certain respect for their parents but there should be a great deal of friendship too
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