People dont go to watch films for messages. Last years major hits have been pure entertainers

Akshay Kumar: I dont think people go to watch films for messages. Look at last years releases,the major hits have been pure entertainers,like Golmaal 3 and Dabangg. Rarely do we get a script like 3 Idiots which is entertaining and has a message. The people who are watching cinema are truck drivers,the rickshaw-wallahs,the auto-rickshaw guyspeople who want entertainment. You may say it is sad,but people just enjoy entertainment,thats the truththeir cinema is paisa vasool cinema. I too have enjoyed Golmaal 3 and Dabangg,but having a film with a soul and a message and which is entertaining is sone pe suhaga.

Chitleen Sethi: In the years that youve worked in the film industry,what have you learntwhat sells with the audience?

Akshay Kumar: Every few years,the taste of audiences keep changing. They do not like one kind of cinema always. But Ive seen one thing: they love commercial entertainers. Now,over the last few years,mainly comedy films have worked. Just see for yourself: the hits in these last couple of years have been comedies and they have formed 95 per cent of the business,while serious,romantic and thriller hits hardly account for five per cent of the industry revenue/profits. People like comedies more than thrillers or romantic films these days. A majority of people who go to multiplexes are between the ages of 12-27 and they only enjoy entertainers…I tried doing serious cinema,I did 8215;10 Tasveer,not even 4215;2 people came to see it!

Smriti Sharma Vasudeva: The Hindi film industry has been dominated by three Ksthe three Khans. Now you have added a new dimension. Do you have to struggle extra hard to match up and are there camps in the industry?

Akshay Kumar: Its very difficult to survive in this industry. I dont want to discourage newcomers like Ranbir Kapoor,Imran Khan or Ranveer Singh,or aspiring actors,but surviving in this industry is very tough. If you say the new K,then Ill take that as a newcomer and thats a compliment for me! And let me give you inside informationthere is no competition or camp per se,thats all a farce. We all talk on the phone at the end of the day. I have never understood this camp business. We make 180 films in a year and we can count only six to seven actors in spite of this number. Some do films once a year,every two years,Ajay Devgn,Salman Khan or me do two-three in a year. Camps will only happen when there are plenty of actors. Producers are on the hunt for actors all the time. So,there are no camps. If there were any,then producers wont go looking for actors.

Jaskiran Kapoor: Tell us about your current film,Joker,being directed by Shirish Kunder.

Akshay Kumar: Well,its the first commercial 3D film of Bollywood,and my own production,Hari Om Production,is making it. Im quite excited about it. I think 3D is the future. We all tend to follow what comes from the west,and 3D is a big thing there,so we are using it here too. Joker is for children,and it has nothing to do with joker joker. It doesnt have a joker or a clown or a circus. The film is about a village which has lost its identity in Indiait doesnt come under any district or state in India. And no state wants it either. Its like a no mans land,and the villagers are trying to get a identification stamp on it. Theres a scene in the film where the villagers are told how their village is like a joker,and their life too is reduced to that of a joker,just like in a pack of playing cards. When the game is on,the joker is removed from the playing pack. Its a film on how these villagers try to get their identity back.

Vipin Pubby: The Indian film industry is dominated by Punjabis,but still,as far as the Punjabi film industry goes,its still struggling to make a mark.

Akshay Kumar: Id only say that Im planning in a huge way to make a Punjabi film. Thats all I can tell you. I think being a Punjabi,I want to make one. My father comes from here. He was a wrestler and was in the Army,and we lived in Amritsar. Our house was right opposite the Golden Temple. Its still very close to me. I remember how happy I was signing up for the film Singh is Kinng.

Rajni Shaleen Chopra: You are so proud of your Punjabi roots,then why did you change your name from Rajiv Bhatia?

Akshay Kumar: I changed it not because some astrologer told me to. I changed it out of boredom! Im not into astrology or numerology,I changed my name,not my surname. Im still a Bhatia,my name is Akshay Hari Om Bhatia.

Jasneet Bindra: With all the films youve done as a Sikh,how have you managed to keep the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee SGPC happy?

Akshay Kumar: When you are making a film like Singh is Kinng,who will have a problem in Punjab with that? There were some issues which they found objectionable,like the way the turban was worn. I went and apologised to them and told them I made a mistake and they pardoned me. There is no point arguing,and I dont want to hurt anyones sentiments.

Jagmeeta Thind Joy: How is it that you are the brand ambassador for Canadian tourism,rather than that of Punjab. Whats special about Canada?

Akshay Kumar: I went to Canada in 1994 for a film shoot and I was bowled over by the country,its people. Its the best country Ive come across. There are 34 million people living in Canada,and one and a half million are Indians. In fact,Ive even made a house there for myself. And I am making an English film there,based on sport. Its called Break Away and is based on ice hockey.

Raghav Ohri: Your transition from action to comedy flicks has been phenomenal. Do you enjoy comedy more?

Akshay Kumar: Honestly,I didnt know I could do comedy. Ill give all the credit to Priyadarshan,Raj Kumar Santoshi and Neeraj Bohra for initiating me. When I was doing a lot of action films,Priyadarshan came to me with Hera Pheri and said,I want you to do comedy…youll do good comedy,and I guess he was right!

Jaskiran Kapoor: Your recent choice of films has not been that successful. Is commercial success important?

Akshay Kumar: It is very important that my films make profit for my producers,distributors and exhibitors. The most important thing is that my producers should get what they deserve,my audience should be entertained. Sometimes,films succeed,sometimes they flop,but it doesnt dishearten me. It just makes me go ahead,try and do something different and challenging.

Sukhdeep Kaur: Does it bother you that at times a lot of scenes and dialogues in your comedies dont sound comic enough,or that they end up sounding the same?

Akshay Kumar: No,it doesnt bother me. Some movies do well,some dont. All you have to do is try and learn. Thats why I watch every film in the cinema hall,to understand what your audience wants. I just dont go to the cinema to be entertained. I go because its my biggest homework. Sometimes I dont succeed,I apologise for that.

Jaskiran Kapoor: Are you doing something to promote your two passions: wrestling and martial arts?

Akshay Kumar: For martial arts,I am running my own tournament across the nation. I feel karate as a sport doesnt have a big future in India and does not have many takers either,so I am promoting it at my level. This tournament takes place all over India and 4,000 to 5,000 children participate in it annually. We look after their boarding and lodging and the three-day event is also a picnic for them. The top two are sent to Japan for an international level tournament. As for wrestling,I sponsor and take care of 15 wrestlers all year round.

Preeti Parashar: You are known for your death defying stunts. Which one have you found the most challenging?

Akshay Kumar: I think all my stunts have been challenging in one way or the other because while doing them,you have to be really carefulthe way you jump,the way you land,you have to take care of your ankles,the impact on your back. Its not as easy as it looks. The toughest stunt is the one I did in the film Khiladi 420. I remember standing on top of an airplane,some 1,000 feet up in the sky. People find it difficult to sit in a plane and there I was,standing on top of it! This was the same stunt I got roped in for Khatron Ke Khiladi,a show I hosted for Colors. I made the contestants on the show climb on top,and gave them a tough time!

Parul: Is training for stunts,martial arts a part of your fitness regime?

Akshay Kumar: Yes,Im a stunt man first and then an actor. I love stunts,enjoy them thoroughly. In between,I have started doing a lot of comedy and now I want to go back to action films and have signed two this year.

Shalini Gupta: How did you prepare for your role as a cricketer in Patiala House?

Akshay Kumar: I spent a lot of time with former cricketer Balwinder Sandhu,who was also part of the World Cup winning squad in 1983. I practised with him and had training sessions for about two weeks,especially on fast bowling. Im a true Indian,and for us,cricket is religion,and being a sportsman,I love the game. I used to represent my team in my school days. Sandhu gave me a lot of tips on my bowling stance,and I bowled to international players like Pollard,Umar Akmal,Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds.

Smriti Sharma Vasudeva: You are at a stage where you can experiment with different genres of films. Whats stopping you?

Akshay Kumar: What will I do with intensity and density? Only comedies work,like I said. Dabangg was also a comic entertainer. I did experiment,and tried for Deepa Mehtas Water,but it didnt materialise. Okay,lets put it this way: why doesnt The Indian Express produce an intense,art house film,put Rs 30-40 crore in it and see what happens? Lets make it. Im ready to do it.

Raghavendra Rao: Ultimately,it boils down to economics: you would rather play safe than plunge into the unknown.

Akshay Kumar: I did try,four-five times I tried it. Patiala House very nice,I got 4 star reviews,but as Steven Spielberg said,What am I going to do with reviews? I cant take the reviews to the bank and cash them sic. I would love to do something different and challenging,like Patiala House,but its difficult,who will take the risk? My character in Patiala House was tough to enact. For half the length of the film,I was supposed to be quiet,and react silently to conversation. It was tough. I absolutely agree with you,and I would love to do something different and challenging,but people have to come to theatres and watch it. People should be there,supporting it.

Jaskiran Kapoor: After Tanuja Chandra,youve worked with another woman director,Farah Khan. Is there any difference in their approach?

Akshay Kumar: Women,in general,are the stronger species. Once they decide on something,you cannot change their minds. I enjoyed doing both films,Sangharsh and Tees Maar Khan.

Charanjit Ahuja: Who is your favourite heroine among the present generation of actors?

Akshay Kumar: In the newer lot,I would say Katrina Kaif,Anushka Sharma and Sonakshi Sinha. Their approach to the films is very professional. They work with dialogues,and are constantly changing the way of acting. Its becoming more natural. I feel Anushka has a good career ahead and even Sonakshithese are the two girls Ill bet money on.

Nitin Sharma: Which sportsperson would you like to be and why?

Akshay Kumar: I would love to be a martial artist. I see myself opening a big martial arts training school in India because there is a lot of potential. As for the favourite sportsperson,there is a black belt by the name of Kareem in Mumbai. Not many people know of him,but I want to be like him. He is amazing,a true sportsman and athlete.

Harpreet Bajwa: You hosted Masterchef India. Tell us about it.?

Akshay Kumar: I enjoyed it thoroughly. I started out as a cook in my career and stunts and cooking have been part of my life. I get offers for other kinds of shows,but I cant do justice to any other thing offered on television.

Jagmeeta Thind Joy: But we didnt see you cook much..

Akshay Kumar: In the original format,the Masterchef doesnt cook although we do give out recipes after the show.

Rajendra Khatry: How do you keep fit ? What is your daily routine?

Akshay Kumar: My day starts as early as 4:30 a.m. As much as I may sound boring,I make it a point to sleep early,by 9 p.m. Luckily,I have a partner,my wife Twinkle,who too likes to sleep early,so does my son Aarav. We follow this timetable round the year. In fact,I hardly ever attend parties. Over the last 22 years of my career,Ive attended maybe 20-25 parties!

Parul: How has success changed you?

Akshay Kumar: It has only changed my bank balance.

Transcribed by Jaskiran Kapoor