‘Akshay Kumar started shooting at 5 am, it was over by 2 pm’: Gopal Dutt recalls working with the star

Actor Gopal Dutt, who has worked in theatre, the web, and in film, spoke about his experience collaborating with actor Akshay Kumar on a commercial that they did together. Gopal spoke about Akshay’s ability to get the job done quicker than most others, when he was asked if it’s true that the star asks for his cues to be written on the foreheads of his co-stars.

This unusual question was asked by Cyrus Broacha on his podcast, Cyrus Says. “Is it true that woh lines aise aapke sar pe likhte hain (Is it true that he writes his lines on co-stars’ foreheads)?” Cyrus asked, and Gopal replied, “No, no, aisa nahi hai (that’s not true).” Elaborating on his experience of working with Akshay, Gopal said, “Acha tha, it was great fun. Wohi tha, ke 2 baje nikalna hai (He always made sure to leave by 2 pm). But he was so quick, because of that only… Subha 5 baje shuru hua, aur 2 baje khatam hogaya shoot (It started at 5 am, and by 2, the shoot was over).”

Also read | Akshay Kumar: An underwhelming year for the star but trade optimistic ‘one-man industry’ is just a blockbuster away

Akshay has a reputation of arriving early on set, and maximising his time there by being highly productive. In the past, director Aanand L Rai has said that Akshay gets more work done in a shorter duration than any other star, which is why he is able to do so many films in one year. Even Akshay has spoken about this before. “I spend only 8 hours on a film set in the day, but I don’t spend a single minute of those 8 hours in a vanity van. I am always standing on the floor of the movie set. My 8 hours are equal to 14-15 hours of any other star. That’s my commitment to the movies,” he told The Times of India.

Akshay last starred in the film Selfiee, the fifth theatrical release in a row to underperform at the box office. During the pandemic era, the star also appeared in two streaming releases — Atrangi Re and Cuttputlli. Next, he will star in OMG 2.