The Stunt Star! 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 11, 2005 - 07:58 IST
He does drama, comedy, romance
But Akki can never retire of action
“But I like it that way” says Akshay. “I came into the industry as an action hero; that is what made me. So I will never be too far when some interesting action comes calling” he replies. He might have drastically cut down on his action assignments, but any dishoom-dishoom sequences that still stays with him? “With me the case is, the tougher the action, the more memorable it is” points out the fitness freak. “As of now two sequences flashing across my eyes are the shark sequence in Aankhen & the dog chase in Waqt” he reminisces.
In the 'jaws' of death…
Would he mind detailing a bit about both, “The Aankhen sequence has me plunging into a tank heavily infested with sharks!” That must have been very dangerous, we remark. “It sure was! See, when you are punching half a dozen baddies, there is a design involved, they can be controlled and monitored, but when it is about the killer mammals, nothing is predictable. The risk factor is huge! Trust me, you got to have a heart of steel to pull it off. Although the creatures were trained, there is never a 100% guarantee and the trainer doesn't take the onus for it. I managed it only because of the expert action choreography it had” the Khiladi Kumar explains.
Run Akki Run…!
Hmm…his recent Alsetian chase in Waqt has also created a lot of talk. “That was a close shave!” So what is the sequence? “The scene is where I take up the job of a stuntman and a group of alsetians are chasing me. Is it true that there were about 5 dogs, but he asked for more? “True, the sequence was supposed to have an edge-of-the-seat feel but looked weak, so I asked for more dogs to give it the required tension” he picks at the nitty-gritty.
Director Vipul Shah adds, “I must tell you about this, the first day of shooting was smooth but the second day onwards, the dogs started getting aggressive and restless. The reason being, they are trained to get their target, but when Akshay kept giving the slip, the dogs began to freak. He even suffered a scratch just above his eyebrow. I asked him whether he would want to use a different set of dogs. But he asked me not to bother and managed it all through without a single complaint” Vipul says with genuine appreciation.
How does Twinkle react to his death-defying stunts?
“Well, it does freak her at times and she even asked me to stop it. I initially refused to do so, but when I realized that it really bothered her, I stopped it altogether. But it was terrible, I was itching to experience the thrills, Twinkle understood that and let me have my way. But I must say, I have reduced it to a great extend, only when something sensational comes by, do I indulge.” he comes clean.
“I taught my son to jump off the table!”
Before wrapping up the conversation, one last thing that we did like to know is whether he has any ambitions for his son, something like the bonny boy be a world class action star? “Nah...none, he is his own person and has all the liberty to do whatever he wishes to. Having said that, I have to admit that “Just yesterday I taught him to jump off the table…” Looking at our amused faces, Akki says, “Kya karen, akhir action hero hoon yaar…”
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Akshay injured on set!
