“With Baby we remember the silent good guys” – Akshay Kumar

By Subhash K. Jha -

January 20, 2015 - 10:46 AM IST

Akshay Kumar chats with Subhash K Jha about Baby.

This year you have three major releases Baby, Main Gabbar and Brothers. These are all action-oriented films. Have you made a conscious decision to move away from comedy for a while?

It's not a conscious or deliberate act; it's just the path I am on right now. I never turn my back on any genre, I just have some very important projects that are close to my heart right now & are adventurous roles to play in the times we live in today. I feel I need to get my hands dirty for a while, my blood is pumping thick and hard right now for real life action, so I'm giving it to my fans.

Baby is a very different style of cinema from the films that you've done recently. How much did you have to work on your acting style to accommodate the different demands of this script?

I agree it is very different in many aspects, but I think people forget just how many different genres of films I take on annually!! In the last two years I have made at least 3 serious thrillers, 3 family comedies, 1 spoof, and don't forget, I also played God. My acting style is constantly modified, so to slip into Neeraj Pandeys Secret Service character was just another example of how much I love my job.

“With Baby we remember the silent good guys” – Akshay Kumar

You seem to be craving to spread your wings?

It's a need for versatility. I am what my directors need me to be. I do as I'm told, after all these years. Acting isn't something you work on now, but perfecting ones craft is never ending, as long as actors do as they are told. The magic in fact lies with what the director can get out of you, not the other way around.

Most of the time you've worked with established heroines in your films. But in Baby you've worked with a relative newcomer Tapsee Pannu. What was it like to face the camera with a less experienced co-star?

One shouldn't judge a hero or heroine by experience alone. I've been blown away with many a first time performer over the years, not just the veterans, so to share the screen with Tapsee was as rewarding as if she had been on our screens for years. She trained well for this film and even with her inexperience she has shown a powerful female side in a very male orientated film, so hats off to her. If all of us leading men worked with the same talented heroines over and over again, how would our industry ever grow? No-one knows who the next 'Kareena Kapoor Khan' or 'Katrina Kaif' will be. It's my duty to give back to this industry what was given to me.

The shooting of Baby took you to various unexplored parts of the world. Which location did you enjoy the most, and why?

Ooooh!! You see now that's not such an easy question, for I fell in love with the people of Nepal, but was wowed with the beauty of the streets in Istanbul, and then again I was blown away with the serenity of the Abu Dhabi desert. So I'm just going to say, it's been a journey and a half, and I like my journeys!!!

Since you've done an important film in terrorism, let me ask what is your take on the global menace of terrorism?

My take on terrorism is as gut-wrenching obvious as it is to everyone else on this planet. It breaks my heart; it breaks homes, cities, lives, families and countries. But it's how we handle it that changes the outcome of any attack. I think as long as we do not cave in, and break down in the eyes of terrorists; their heinous inhuman actions alone are almost immediately half-destroyed.

As responsible global citizens how can we fight terrorism?

This is where I think the media needs to be careful that they don't sensationalize terrorism. We shouldn't give them the time of day or the glory they are so craving for. As much as we need to be told what is going on in the world and on our streets, I've always thought, if it was never televised or spoken of, would they still attack knowing the world will not even come to know of their attempts of brutal sadistic murder? Something to think about maybe.

And yet you're drawing attention to terror and terrorism by being in a film like Baby?

True, but we have deliberately portrayed the whole situation to uncover the bravery of the men that fight terrorism behind closed doors. These are fighters that the world doesn't even know about. Instead of glorifying the bad guys, we have made people remember the silent good guys, because it's they who deserve the attention and glory, only them.

Moving away from politics, how do you deal with long periods of shooting outside the country when you can't meet your wife and children?

Well, basically I am thankful for the inventions of commercial planes and large hotel suites. Whenever it feels like it's been too long or I need my family and they're missing me, then I fly them out to wherever I am. We don't need to suffer, we have the means and the money and the staff to help us be the family we need to be in any corner of the world. I'm grateful for this luxury of being able to bring my family close to me whenever I am far away, otherwise yes it would be hard. Luckily I shoot films quickly so I'm never on an outdoor for very long anymore anyway.

Baby is your second film with Neeraj Pandey. What sort of a growth have you seen in him and in yourself since Special 26?

The growth that I've seen and felt more than anything is purely the respect and admiration we have for each other. No matter how long we have been working in this industry, professional growth is inevitable and always needed. Neeraj has mellowed in the sense that he trusts that I trust his judgment calls, and I've grown as an actor as well as a fan to understand that Neeraj Pandey knows what he's talking about, and that in its self is one of the best feelings to have on the set. There's mutual trust and respect, all the way.

Brothers is your first film for Karan Johar's production. Why haven't you worked with him so far? And what's it like to work with him?

We haven't worked together in the past because we were both doing our own thing with our own companies, there are only so many days in a year and only so many films one can make. We have waited patiently for the right script to bring us together. All I can say is, this is one hell of collaboration, I say no more for now.

You've just completed 14 years of married life. What is the magic mantra for keeping a marriage working in a place like showbiz?

Marry someone who understands you, your time, your job, your stresses , your woes, and you've pretty much got exactly what it takes to not only last, but to have a life that an actor can only dream of. We came from different families and but our lives were similar. We understand each other. That's how we avoid arguments and keep the spark alive after so long. We're 'same, same, but different'.