Lights camera laughs

Take a look at his recent successes. There is a method in his brand of comic madness. Whether it is the geeky heh-heh-heh guffaw in Jaan-e-Mann or the come-to-me-baby Casanova overtures of Garam Masala, the dialogues are delivered with deadpan intent, the body language is down pat, and, mind those little quirks. He8217;s perfected the art of getting the laughs the Akshay way.

Priyadarshan, with whom the actor has given solid hits like Hera Pheri, Phir Hera Pheri, Garam Masala and now Bhagam Bhag, lauds the actor for his focus and discipline. 8220;He8217;s just so hardworking. And when he8217;s shooting a scene, he8217;s only thinking about that scene. And his comic timing is flawless.8221;

The ultimate compliment comes from the emperor of laughs, Govinda, Bollywood8217;s first leading man who lent such respectability to comedy: 8220;I must say that Akshay is fabulous. In his earlier films, he was part of a good comedy but now he makes the comedy.8221;

While comparisons between the erstwhile king of celluloid comedy and Akshay, its new blue-eyed boy, would be in bad taste 8212; in the sense that who does what better is purely subjective and what is funny changes with time as much as technology 8212; the figures are currently on AK8217;s side. In 2005, AK8217;s Garam Masala enjoyed the biggest opening for any comedy film. One year, and the record is still to be beaten.

It8217;s more proof of his seemingly seamless jump from his reign in action. Since his debut 16 years ago, AK has traversed the entire spectrum. He8217;s been the correct cop Main Khiladi Tu Anari, the dutiful son Waqt, the ordinary guy Khiladi, the wronged guy Khakee, the damaged guy Mr Bond, the immoral husband Ajnabee and the exploited husband Aitraaz.

In his first phase roughly 1991-2000, AK was nicknamed khiladi as a tribute as much to hi s roles as to his pre stardom days when he was a martial arts teacher who doubled as a waiter in Bangkok. In those days, he went all out to please the gallery with his punches and stunts. He fought the WWF champion Undertaker and won. He chased helicopters, jumped from buildings, saved the girl and the nation. The inspiration, he says, came from Tom and Jerry cartoons and National Geographic documentaries. 8220;I8217;d see how Tom would chase Jerry and how the animals defend themselves in the jungle and apply their techniques in my stunts.8221;

Whether it is Dev Anand or a superstar of today, when genres stick 8212; and you can blame this on a comfort zone or other people8217;s expectations of stereotypes 8212; it becomes difficult for an actor to shake them off.

But from 1999 when, with Jaanwar, AK decided to make the Big Switch, today, he has gone on from King of Action to the King of Good Times.

The reason boils down to two words: boredom and survival. 8220;I got bored of chasing the bad guys and beating them to a pulp. I needed to survive in this industry and since I didn8217;t have the backing of any big makers, I knew that whatever change has to come will need to be from within me,8221; he says.

But while he didn8217;t look back after he decided to chart out a new chapter, there was discontent among his action aficionados when AK8217;s days of Khiladi, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Sabse Bada Khiladi, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Mr and Mrs Khiladi, International Khiladi and Khiladi 420 were truly over. 8220;Earlier, risky stunts would give me a high but these days it8217;s risky roles. I switched to comedy when they said that action is my forte,8221; he smiles.

In a way, the ability to risk success got in one genre and move to another comes from having lived through days when he had nothing to lose. There were days when he dabbled in modelling for a while and trained as a background dancer. 8220;I have danced at Togo Fogo Nite at Mumbai8217;s Shanmukhananda Hall where I was paid Rs 100 for one performance,8221; he says. Those days are not forgotten. 8220;In my life, everything has come the hard way. Even when I had 14 flops in a row, I was never disheartened. I would just return to the house in Sion Koliwada where I stayed when I first moved to Bombay in 1987. I would look at my Rs 40 lakh Peugeot and say to myself, main kahan se kahan pahunch gaya. God has been so kind, I have no reason to complain.8221;

Though both action and comedy share one crucial factor 8212; an instinct for timing 8212; there have been few stars who can straddle both genres. Amitabh Bachchan has shown his brilliant comic timing in his films, but will be remembered as the angry young man. Govinda, celluloid humour8217;s most bankable star, may have done action, but has been identified with comedy.

But if Akshay Kumar was referred to as the desi Sylvester Stallone in the action days, today the industry is calling his comic timing an art in itself. As David Dhawan points out: 8220;He brings his own little nuances in the characters. He8217;s not being repetitive in any of his comic roles. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi was different from Garam Masala. Similarly, Phir Hera Pheri was completely a different world to Jaan-e-Mann. He has a knack of picking out different characters within comedy.8221;

Not to mention, though, that AK remains as famously monosyllabic in his comic avatar as in the action days. According to him, the technique is to keep it simple 8212; 8220;I just follow the script and say the lines with utmost sincerity. I don8217;t say the punch lines with extra punch. Since it8217;s already punchy, there is no need. I just let it flow8221;.

On screen, he makes it all look effortless, but he takes his craft seriously, with an eye for detail. 8220;The challenge now lies in getting into the skin of different characters. I want to shock my audience time and again. If something has been done before then I want to turn it around and do it my way,8221; he says.

He8217;s not excited about slapstick or the banana peel brand of comedy. Instead he likes to play the everyday man caught in howlarious situations. 8220;I never want to do the pajama ka naada nikal gaya hai kind of a role just to make people laugh. That8217;s the comedian8217;s job. In my films, I like the humour to be situational, universal and yes, intelligent.8221;

Added to that, of course, is that, as Dhawan says, 8220;Akshay is a today guy. He looks likes a funster and the audience has accepted him as someone who will deliver unadulterated entertainment. Also he8217;s physically attractive and fits well in the romantic comedy genre. It8217;s a great combination: he can deliver the jokes with great comic flair and also look good with a girl in his arms. That makes him a dependable package.8221;

AK knows that best. 8220;I8217;m very, very happy with the way my recent movies have been received. I8217;m especially pleased about Garam Masala since it opened a new genre for our movies in the overseas market,8221; he says.

But if you think comedy has become a comfort zone for the Khiladi, then think again. He is planning another little switch now. 8220;I want to tap the hidden areas in comedy.8221; Welcome to 8220;murmedy8221;, AK8217;s unique cinema slang for a murder mystery in comedy. Tired of explaining the essence of his latest comic caper Bhagam Bhag, AK has decided that this one word will suffice. 8220;This is something I came up with just this morning. It8217;s cool, isn8217;t it,8221; he smiles, eyes all crinkled, reminiscent of his Wicked Sunny days. 8220;After 8216;murmedy8217;, I want to try my hand at 8216;hormedy8217; that8217;s horror in a comedy, if you please,8221; he declares.

Somewhere also exists a dream to revisit action but here too, he wants to explore the unexplored. 8220;I8217;ve tried martial arts action but I would love to try raw action and cable action now,8221; he says. For all his success, AK8217;s hunger for a meaty role 8212; and his ability to risk all his success to start all over again, afresh 8212; has not abated. It may or may not always be the mark of a star, but it is most definitely the mark of a real artiste.