Akshay Kumar sets the conversation rolling by talking about how the teleshopping channel, Big Deal TV, he’s launching in partnership with entrepreneur Raj Kundra and actor Vikram, is different. “That actors like me are associated with it lends the channel a lot of credibility. People will understand that our reputations are at stake, and that we must have filtered through the products and let only the very best be available for them,” says Akshay. The actor knows how some teleshopping channels con viewers. He once saw a channel offering a product that would help turn the fortunes of the buyer. “I pretended to be a farmer from Nasik and complained about the lack of rain. The caller I spoke to gave me complete assurance that his product would bring rains to Nasik,” he laughs. It is this sort of swindling that Akshay believes they’re doing away with. I couldn’t resist bringing up the case of Maggi, where actors who did commercials for the brand are now being sued. “There’s only so much actors can do. How can we know what ingredients a product contains?”
I quickly veer him away to cinema by asking him about remakes of Tamil films doing well in Bollywood. His third entry into the 100 crore club, Holiday , was a remake of Thuppakki . His recent superhit, Gabbar is Back , was a remake of Ramanaa (which he calls Raamana). “I don’t even have to wait for some films to become hits before deciding to remake them. Not many know that I bought the remake rights for Thuppakki even while it was being written. I knew even then that the story would be perfect for me.”
He mentions that one of the main changes Bollywood filmmakers do when remaking South Indian films is to reduce the duration. “We cut at least 30 minutes out of your films which usually run for a solid 2 hours and 45 minutes. The Mumbai audience just doesn’t have the patience. We say that the average Mumbaikar doesn’t have the time to even tell you the time. If I were to ask somebody down south, they’d probably stop walking just to tell me the time.” He adds, jokingly, “If it were a South Indian film, perhaps they’d even show the time on a passerby’s watch to make it doubly sure.”
It’s not just Tamil films; Akshay keeps his eyes wide open for successful films from other parts of the world, including France and Germany. “That’s my homework as an actor. The one I loved recently was again… what-was-that-recent-Murugadoss-film? (I offer Kaththi ) Yes, that’s the film.”
He’s also doing Singh is Bling with Prabhu Deva. The film, however, is not a sequel of Singh is Kinng, “although I do play a sardar in both films.” He winds up by pointing out an irony. “My first film about a sardar was done by a muslim, Anees Bazmee. And now, my second film about a sardar is being directed by a Tamilian.”
