I am not Superstar says Akshay Kumar
As box-office collections for Singh Is Kinng pour in, Akshay Kumar says humbly, “Bas aur nahin chahiye, bahut mil gaya.” The actor is holidaying in Goa with wife Twinkle and beta Aarav. He took time off to talk about the film, the reactions he’s received and his future plans…
Katrina Kaif says she just follows you into projects?
Thank you, Katrina. But please don’t trust me blindly. I still have a lot to learn about cinema. I make a lot of mistakes. I hope when I make a mistake in selecting a script; you, Katrina are not in it.
Why a film on Sikhs?
When I was young, my dad and I would have discuss movies. One of the things that bothered him was â?? why the Sardars were ridiculed? My father’s concern remained in my subconscious. That’s how Singh Is Kinng was born. It is a tribute to the Punjabis.
You’re living life kingsize.
Ha ha… you can say that again. Whatever I’m today is because of the support of my fans. Beyond that I don’t want to be the king.
Superstardom is slippery.
And I don’t want it. I’m not a superstar. I’m only here to entertain people. I keep telling my wife I don’t want to be No 1 or No 2. I just want to be alive and kicking in the film industry. By the grace of God, this industry has given me much more than I deserve.
But you’ve worked for it.
Yes, it’s not easy. When you reach a certain position it isn’t easy to hold on to that position. It’s the crab mentality at work. When I’m told about Singh Is Kinng’s opening collections, I can only thank my audience and fans. Also, the media has been very kind to me and my film. Singh Is Kinng is not a great film. It’s an entertaining film. It’s the kind of cinema I believe in. I come from the grassroots and that’s the section I want to pay off my debts to. I don’t think ordinary people want to pay Rs 150 to watch a film that sermonises. I want my films to be stress-busters.
Do you feel a lot of pressure trying to sustain box-office success?
Until a day before the release of Singh Is Kinng, I was so tense I stopped talking to my wife. I become edgy before every of my film’s release. But this time, it was worse. It’s the first controversial film of my career. Most important of all, it’s my first home production.
You said you’d never get into production. What changed?
I’ve been in this industry for 18 years. When I got the title Singh Is Kinng, I wanted to make the film. I identify very closely with North-Indian family values. There was a time when my parents, sister and I wouldn’t miss a single Hindi film. That habit continues. While watching films every Saturday we would skip our dinner so we could afford Gurukripa’s samosas, popcorn and icecream at Roopam cinema (now closed down).
How do you find the time now?
I don’t know how I do it. But I have to find the opportunity to watch every film. The ones I miss I make a note of and then catch up with later. I missed Cash and Race. I watched them recently.
Will you be producing more films?
If I like a script as much as Singh Is Kinng, why not? If I don’t, I won’t. It’s not as if I’ve tasted blood and want more.
Do you think Chandni Chowk To China will do as well as SIK?
That’s a scary thought. And I don’t want to think about it. That’s my autobiographical film. I always wanted to put down my journey from Delhi to Bangkok into a film.
