'Call me a versatile actor, not a super-star'

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Akshay Kumar in conversation with Sandeep Hattangadi
What is this intriguing title of the film 'Baby' all about?
Baby is the name of an organisation that is all set to bring terrorists to task. For every country in today’s times, terrorism needs to be tackled as it has become an important issue. This issue needs to be taken seriously. Neeraj Pandey has written an intriguing tale about 27 people who have been chosen to sort out this major problem that we are facing. These chosen lot's Task Teams are only supposed to inform their doing to the High Command secretly. They are also assigned with the job of not only bringing the terrorists to task, but they also need to eliminate them from the grass-root level. Since the group has just come into existence, therefore the title 'Baby'.

How was the experience shooting in the barren deserts?
Shooting in the deserts was done because we could shoot the sequences in an extraordinary manner, getting a larger scale view. There needs to be no one around so the shot while running on the road also is shadow free. This however not only enchants the cine-goers but gives a real feel too.

What is your criteria of choosing films and which genre is close to your heart?
Well! I mostly love to choose different characters. I do not like to stick to any one genre in particular. Like, I decided to try comedy when I was getting attached to the tag of 'Action Hero'. I have tried all the genres – be it comedy, serious and romantic roles. I do not want to be type-cast at all. I am sure by now everyone from my audience and others have understood this. I like to do films with great scripts. Undeniably, I am greedy for different kinds of scripts. So I chose to do 'It's Entertainment', then I did 'Special 26' and now 'Baby'. In 'Gabbar' I am playing a vigilante, while in 'Brothers' I have a different role altogether with mixed martial arts.

History is made by people who give a damn, says the tag line. Can you elaborate?
This film ‘Baby’ is all about people who only go ahead with their thought process giving a damn to others. Such people only make history. I remember one of my friends came to Mumbai making it big in Bollywood against the wishes of his parents. Well! One fine day after he returned home, he and his father waited impatiently surfing different channels as he worked in one of the show. He did not know the name of the show so his father continued watching the National Geographic channel. Not seeing his son on any show he told him, ”Arre ab toh jaanwar bhi dikh rahein hein iss channel par lekin tu kab aayega?” But this guy did not lose hope and is struggling even now.

You are often labelled as the 'super-star'. How would you take this tag?
I may have made a benchmark for myself in the filmdom, yet I feel I have to do a lot more. I do not want to be associated with the tags of super-star or any other tag. Instead I would like to be known as a versatile actor. Also, I do not want to get involved making too preachy a film, because too much of everything is never liked or digested by our audience. The audiences are looking for a variety of changes always. I want to entertain my audiences with not one image but several diverse images.

Will your fans not miss you in 'Hera-Pheri-3' as ‘Raju’?
I would not like to discuss this. Actually, a few things go out of your control and I did not like a few things, that’s it.

Why do so many Bollywood films flop?
Now look, we are always in the process of doing different films. This initiative we take merely because the audiences get fed-up and bored very easily. During yester-years, if one eminent film-maker was making a romantic film, the entire fraternity would follow his footsteps. This they could easily do for at least another 10 years. And films based on the same genre did work. But in today’s times, the audiences get bored and fed up easily. No sooner one film of a different genre is in the market the others will try something different. Merely, because the audiences likes to watch a different genre. They get fed up of watching the same genre. We need to take calculated risks and only after a film does well we can vouch for our choice.

On latest films like 'Shaukeens' having miserably flopped at the box office, what’s your take?
Every film has a different story line. We chose a film which was entertaining while giving a little message too. We need to learn through every film that we make.

How does it  feel playing an Army guy?
Oh! I enjoy playing the role of an Army man. My father was in the Army, thus whenever I play that role I feel like I am doing a little bit of my duties towards my country by at least giving some message to my people.

Will we see you playing a patriotic role ever?
Our film 'Baby' will also give some good inspiring message, however, it is a normal film. It does not have any patriotic song or any lecture on patriotism. It cannot be compared to Manoj Kumar’s films. But yet in my own way, all my films do have some little patriotic messages showcasing the love for our country.

What are you doing towards your ardent mission for ‘female security and self-defence’?
Very few know that I have opened 'Martial  Arts Classes' for females in different parts of suburbs in Mumbai. These females are imparted proper training as to how they need to protect themselves while walking on the road and what they need to carry for their safety. These women are taught self-protection methods secretly as well. Moreover, this valued education to the women are imparted ‘free of cost’. This is a modest social-service from my end to the women folks on enlightening them with their own safety measures that they need to take at a time when they face any sort of danger. Especially while they travel all alone.