Akshay Kumar talks about Mission Raniganj: “I can always make commercial films and earn money. But my whole idea is to make such kinds of films”

By Fenil Seta -

October 6, 2023 - 7:57 PM IST

After a long time, Akshay Kumar sat with a group of journalists for a print interview. The actor talked about his latest release Mission Raniganj and a lot more.

Akshay Kumar talks about Mission Raniganj: “I can always make commercial films and earn money. But my whole idea is to make such kinds of films”

What kind of feedback have you got for Mission Raniganj? And how was your experience of working on this film?
My family and friends are always going to like it. That doesn't count. What's important is that people should like it. It's great to see (positive) reviews coming in. I am thankful to all of them.

The best part was that it was about a man I'll never forget. I got a chance to speak to him (Jaswant Singh Gill) before he died. I have not met many people who will not care about their lives and just go down (in that mine), knowing that it can result in death. And nobody knows about this episode. There are many such stories. I made Airlift (2016), for example, and surprisingly, even the media didn't know about it, that we saved 1,70,000 people. The same goes for OMG 2 (2023). The incident happened for real.

I got an opportunity to shoot in real mines also. Bahut daraavna (experience) tha. Easy lagta hai but hai nahin. Thanks to the miners, we get coal which helps generate electricity. I make these films to show how difficult it is for these people and what happens exactly.

I can always make commercial films and earn money. But my whole idea is to make such kinds of films. I also want to make commercial films but not as much as I want to make (films like Mission Raniganj).

The last time you and director Tinu Suresh Desai came together for Rustom (2016), you were blessed with a National Award. Do you think a repeat of it is possible with Mission Raniganj?
I have no idea. National Award is a faraway thing as of now. I hope (the film wins) because Tinu has worked very, very hard. He has been writing this film for the last 5 years. Woh yeh kahaani leke kahan kahan nahin gaya. For Tinu's sake, I hope he wins it. Getting a National Award for the second film will be a special feeling.

Don't you think that such an incredible story should have come out before?
I don’t look at it like that. Der aaye durust aaye. I hope the other actors of the industry also bring such unsung heroes on screen. Some of them are already doing it.

Before this incident, whenever the miners got stuck, they didn’t come out alive. They all had died. Even in China and other parts of the world, it’s the same. We should salute Jaswant Singh Gill that he thought of this idea of installing a capsule and putting it in the hole.

How do you switch off once you go home after doing such intense films?
You are taking my interview. 10 minutes after leaving from here, you’ll forget me! You’ll be talking to someone else (smiles). There’s a reason why it’s called ‘acting’. Khatam karo, kaar (house in Punjabi) jaao!

What makes you say yes to a film?
The script should hit me. Often, new directors come up with the script. It doesn’t matter. Once upon a time, even I was new. Hence, I don’t mind working with them. I worked with 26 debutant directors in my career. It should be the maximum for any actor.

Also Read: ”I won 30 pounds from Akshay Kumar Sir” says Mission Raniganj actor Gaurav Prateek