I do not fear anything in a woman: Akshay Kumar

In an exclusive interview to Firstpost, Akshay tells us what makes him tick, what keeps him going, and what matters most to him. “Ambition wakes me up every morning,” he says, adding that making his son Aarav proud helps him get through a gruelling workday. Excerpts:

Firstpost: You seem to have reached a point in your career where flops don’t affect your brand. What do you attribute the reasons for this phenomenon…

Akshay: I must attribute this to the fact that I am not a “hit machine” or anything like that. I am purely a producers’ and directors’ actor! People who work with me know that not only do I give 200% to my films in the making, I go well out of my way to promote them, give extra dates for promotional songs, come on time, am versatile and I give everyone a chance, no matter how big or small they are.

For newcomers, I am their ideal first hero because I let them grow and I don’t control them or make them feel any less than Aditya Chopra or any of my directors. I am there for them as much as they are there for me. You see, in this industry, everyone is replaceable – directors need actors, actors need directors and producers. So it doesn’t matter how high you go, a low will come and you’re going to wish you had looked after everyone on your way up.

Thank You, Tees Maar Khan and Patiala House didn’t meet audience expectations. What do you think went wrong in these films?

I don’t really think anything was necessarily wrong with any of these films; they were all there to touch the hearts of my audience, but sometimes you don’t quite give them what they want. It’s like ordering food for someone without knowing what he’d want to eat that night. You can’t expect people to love your choices every time, but as long as the effort is appreciated, it makes it worth it.

I thoroughly enjoyed making Tees Maar Khan, Patiala House was very dear to my heart as a script and as a film, and Thank You was brilliant entertainment in my eyes. To love my job as much as I do, I should be grateful enough for that. But why they didn’t all work extremely well is a question beyond my capabilities to answer. The audience wants something else and that is all I am working on right now – no regrets, just ambition.

There is so much talk about the crores you make – but there is no clear indication of the amount you actually make per film. Do you want to tell us?

You want to tell me what you earn? Of course not! I don’t talk about such things with my own mother, so why would I want to share it with the world? My earnings should mean nothing to anyone outside my family. It is only curiosity that makes people want to know and this kind of curiosity never got anyone anywhere in life. Please don’t be offended; it’s just that if I give people any more details about my life, there would be nothing left to share with my wife. Instead of our early morning romantic chats, Tina would just have to read the morning paper and surf on the net!

After being on the lowest rung of Bollywood and almost finished in the business in the 90s, you are now in the elite club of the top 5 in the business – you, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan. How does it feel?

What can I say except that hard work pays off! It was never my intention when I came into this industry “to be in the top 5 in Bollywood”. My honest intentions were to work hard, try harder and provide my family a life we’d only ever dreamed of. My ambitions have never been to get myself a place in this world; they were always to just do better in life. Whether God gave me my place in Bollywood or my efforts got me here, I don’t know. I am grateful either ways. My peers are incredible actors and amazing people and we are all here because of our hard work and we are a credit to the Indian film industry. We all deserve our success as no one got here easily. The struggle has been unforgettable, but worth every ounce of pain. I’m a very lucky man, but I believe I created my own path; no one made it for me!

What are your films up for release next? And which ones are you producing next?

Right now I am only focusing on one film – Desi Boyz. I am not producing it, but I am giving my best to the film in other ways!

So Khatron ke Khiladi (on the Colors channel) is back to you. How did the turnaround happen? After all, many actors tried to get the show and some failed to crack the TRPs when they did host it.

KKK is like my baby, and no one can take care of your own baby the way you can. I am Khatron ke Khiladi; it’s a great show and I love hosting it with all my heart. The stunts that I have performed in season four of KKK are going to stay with me for the rest of my life. Everyone knows this show means the world to me and you will see some serious discipline and action this season. You will see a side to me that not many have ever seen. Whether TRPs shoot through the roof or not, I truly think everyone should be proud of everyone that has ever taken part in this show. There’s nothing like it in the world.

How is the shoot going in South Africa?

Superb! The South African stunt team is incredible and we have created such outstanding stunts. We have pushed my contestants to levels they didn’t know they could reach and every day is an adrenaline rush for all of us. It’s been beautiful, we’ve had rain, we’ve had sunshine, we’ve had experiences like never before and I can’t wait to share it with you all once it airs.

Do you fear anything in the world or in life, despite your fearless personality?

There is nothing I fear. There is nothing in life that I don’t want to try or experience literally, but there is one thing I do hate and that’s a merry-go-round! Throw me off a building, but don’t make me sit on the ‘Magic Tea Cups’. Ugghh!

Do you agree that every man fears women in some sort of way?

Men fear women because deep down we know we don’t understand women and it plays on all our minds. We may spend our lives trying to please our women and make them happy – from our mothers to our wives to our sisters, but at the end of the day, only women know how to make themselves happy. And, if they decide to spend the rest of their lives with us, we should just remember we must have done something right in life and just go with the flow.

Is there anything in particular you fear in a woman and why?

I don’t fear anything in a woman. There’s nothing about a woman that isn’t lovable, even when they are screaming at you. More often than not, it’s only because they love you! But if I had to pick something I fear, it would have to be their mood swings. They come and go so fast, I never know whether to duck or to laugh!

Are you planning on working with Salman Khan again, given the two of you are friends and have worked together several times?

You know me, I would love to work with Salman again. All I can hope for is a damn good script and Salman and me will be up to our old tricks again!

If you had to choose a male or female co-star from any actor in the world, who would it be and why? And what kind of film would you like to collaborate with them on?

Right now, I would love to make an Expendables with all my favourite actors – Sanjeev Kumar, Mehmood, Amitabh Bachchan, Jack Black, Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Jason Stratham, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Charlie Chaplin. This would be the world’s greatest action and comedy film. But sadly, it is slightly impossible to make because many of them are no longer with us. But legends live on in our hearts and minds.

Where do you think Bollywood is headed with so many international partnerships in creative talent and scripts?

Bollywood looks like it’s going pretty international by the sound of it. I can only focus on where I should be heading; Bollywood takes care of itself. It’s growing fabulously and it’s about time it got worldwide recognition and accolades.

What makes you get up in the morning to seize your action-packed day?

Ambition wakes me up every morning! My duty as the head of my family gets me out of bed and the love for my work and the people I work with drives me to work in the morning. But it’s the desire to make my son, Aarav, proud that helps me get through every gruelling, action-packed day. Aarav is the biggest and only motivation I need to go to work!