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I Want to do Mythological Films Now

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Akshay Kumar1

Gabbar is back but in an all-new avatar, and redefining bad as the new good is Akshay Kumar.

Why Gabbar, we quiz him.  “I play the namesake of an iconic villain. In the film Gabbar is Back, Gabbar is the personification of a thought that represents the power of the common man. There is so much corruption in our country that we don’t need a hero to tackle it but a villain to beat up all bad men,” says Akshay.

Commenting on the crime rate in the country, the actor says, “When I was shooting for Airlift in Dubai, I found out that the crime rate there was 0.01 per cent, and that is because of the punishment meted out to offenders in that country. In India too, we need stricter punishments. You have to set an example by instilling fear in criminals; you can’t achieve anything by burning candles. There is no fear of law. You need a villain to stop all this,” says Akshay.

What appealed to him the most about the film was its tagline. “‘Bad is today’s good’ appealed to me instantly. The film is about an undercover cop. This is not about the villain Gabbar; it’s the thought.  He is an intelligent man. The villain in the film is essayed by southern actor Suman, who did Sivaji and was the villain opposite Rajnikanth. He is also a martial art expert.”

Talking about the physical preparedness required for the role, Akshay says, he had to put on “14 kg, but lost it all for my next film Brothers. I take special efforts to be fit because it’s important for me and not because I am in this industry. My father was in the army and was always fit and inculcated that habit into us. I have grown up doing workouts,” Akshay reveals.

In real life, the action king has been training women in martial arts free of cost. “I train 300 girls every day from the corporate world, media, and even maids. My training starts from the basics, like what you have to wear for the training session; you are not supposed to come in track pants. What happens when a man touches a woman when she is alone, the process begins from there. When a man touches a woman, she freezes and goes under a shock. That is when men take advantage. It’s how you react in that moment that counts. I am ready to take 10 more classes, but don’t have space,” he informs.

Besides doing action and comedy films, Akshay is keen on doing a mythological role. “We have a rich mythological content. I have already played Lord Krishna in OMG!Oh My God, but now I want to portray Lord Shiva. My grandmother would show me films like Har Har Gange, Jai Santoshi Maa, so such content has been a part of my childhood,” he says.

The actor says he would not just like to portray a mythological character but also produce the film. “I want to make a film on today’s interpretation of Lord Shiva, a cool dude. His style of talking and walking should be like the times he lived in. So my Shiva character would be like rich, strong, and intelligent,” he says.

Having spent over two decades in the industry, Akshay Kumar credits his success to the karma that brought him here. “Karma and fortune brought me to the industry, but luck played an important part in getting the right roles, producers and directors. There are a lot of good-looking, talented boys out there waiting outside a producer’s office, but they are not lucky enough. It is 30 per cent hard work and 70 per cent luck that has kept me going,” he says.

At the same time, Akshay says, he has stopped doing films for friends. “I have committed a lot of mistakes in my career. I signed the wrong films.

Everyone told me that it was affecting my career. I am here to give good entertainment to my fans, and what I was doing was not right. It’s important to pick good scripts. But yes, I don’t keep expectations from any film. I am scared of it. I take every film as it comes. I don’t do big-budget films because I don’t want to put pressure on producers when it fails,” he says.

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