Akshay kumar is a pragmatic man. He knows fame can be a fair-weather friend. His success has been hard won and he stays clear of complacence. This is why, after 135 films spanning a 24-year-long career, the actor still worries about his place on the bus. It is a metaphorical bus, slowly filling up with the year’s top performers—those who have won their audience’s hearts and proved valuable at the box office.
A seat means you get one more chance, one more year, to play the fame game, says Kumar. But seats have to be earned on this bus, and the price of a ticket is, simply, success. “I need to be careful and work very hard to get a seat on that bus,” he shrugs. “A new set of movies will release every year, and I will be tested all over again, but my seat is ensured only if I have done well every single year.”
It is also why, on December 31, as people get ready to let their hair down and celebrate the year gone by, one of Bollywood’s most hardworking actors will be taking stock of the hits and misses of 2014.
For the most part, it’s been a fruitful year. His film Holiday (co-produced by wife Twinkle Khanna and directed by AR Murugadoss), where he plays the lead alongside Sonakshi Sinha, was a super-hit. Meanwhile, his second film for the year, Entertainment, got a mixed response from fans and critics alike. He’s also returned to television after a two-year hiatus, with a dance reality show, Dare2Dance.
Akshay Kumar’s place on the bus is assured. But he takes little for granted. The teetotaler is driven by the need to prove to himself, and to his fans, that he has what it takes to maintain his reign as a superstar. “I don’t want to live without success. I will not be able to accept it if I am no longer a part of this industry. But that also means I have to keep striving,” says Kumar. This will to succeed, persist and persevere is what, he believes, has kept him in the lead—especially at the box office which, he says, is akin to a horse race at a turf club. Like horses, actors compete every week, and a new hero emerges based on the Friday results.
He’s lost many races, and felt the pain of failure. But then he picks up the pieces and starts again, one movie at a time. “If a film flops on a Friday, of course it hurts. I’ve given six to nine months of my life to that movie. But, by Monday, I try to forget it and move ahead. There is no point brooding; it spoils the future.”
His sister Alka’s recollections of the actor in his youth reveal a softer, sensitive side to the big action hero. “When Akshay got upset after a movie didn’t do well, he would go to mom and curl up with his head in her lap,” says Alka, 43. His mother, Aruna Bhatia, would run her fingers through his hair, and it would calm him immediately. In Punjabi, she would tell him, “Puttar, koi gal nahin. Sab theek ho jaana hai [Son, don’t worry. Everything will work out well eventually].”
Today, the 47-year-old actor, born Rajiv Bhatia, also relies on wife Twinkle and his two children to get over momentary setbacks. Family remains the centre of his universe. It is the backbone of his career; the bedrock of his existence. “His pet name is Raju. And he feels at home among people, his family, who call him Raju,” says Alka.
The actor sticks to an eight-hour work day (one shift in film production parlance), is back home by 7 pm, and spends the evening with his 12-year-old son Aarav and two-year-old daughter Nitara. He never works on a Sunday. “I have one life, and I want to enjoy it. I want to spend enough time with my children,” he says. “I know of many celebrities who barely spend time with their children or family, and then regret later. I don’t want to make this mistake.”
Apart from his wife and children, his extended support system includes his mother, sister Alka and her husband, real estate developer Surendra Hiranandani.
A Director’s Actor
At the core is a man who unabashedly loves fame and fortune, adores connecting with his fans, and fears becoming irrelevant. “It’s important to not get tempted and lose your balance,” he says. “I have seen big superstars and lead actors working as junior artistes in the later years of their life. This happened because when their movies were not doing well, they pooled in all their savings and invested in a film on themselves, for yet another chance at the box office. That’s the temptation you need to control.”
Check out our Festive offers upto Rs.1000/- off website prices on subscriptions + Gift card worth Rs 500/- from Eatbetterco.com. Click here to know more.
(This story appears in the 26 December, 2014 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Akshay Kumar Best Actor Forever
on Jul 19, 2015akkki .....lv uu jab andaaj koi raas ni aaya mene mera andaaj aape banaya mera ek haath ka khel sara bollywood ek mera koi ni mel
on May 8, 20151 Akki==3 khans..! my all time fvrt. Akshay kumar..is..one n only no.1 superstar... lov u sir.
on Feb 19, 2015Akshay kumar mere dil ka choorrr :-) Luv U AK .. waiting for Baby, Brothers, Gabbar and Singh ...... hope we will get love story movie like \"humko diwana kar gaye\" \"namaste london\"
on Jan 2, 2015I like u like hell... As I love to watch yuvraj Singh on field , I always want to see u act... u r just awesome...
on Dec 29, 2014awesom look my favi.... acter
on Dec 22, 2014WOW.... I LIKE U
on Dec 22, 2014Akshay kumar is just awsome. i want to meet him.i have no words to say.i mean he is a definition of fitness.......
on Dec 22, 2014Akshay Kumar is my favourite Actor, I follow his way of smiling... i like him so much...
on Dec 22, 2014akshay kumar is superstar he is soo sexy man in bollywood
on Dec 21, 2014AKSHAY IS GREAT.... IN REAL...
on Dec 20, 2014Akshay has always been a decent actor. But he must choose his films well. He acts in unwatchable movies at times. After spending decades in the industry, why should he need to do that?
on Dec 20, 2014Akshay Kumar is a good man.Akshay is another bollywood actor to different.this is very perfect .
on Dec 20, 2014Akki... I really feel is a fantastic actor n a treat to watch performing. A truly matured actor and exceeds excellently across all genres of Bollywood.! Truly bow to u, Master!
on Dec 20, 2014I wait for only Akshay Kumar\'s movies. Baki sab to bakwass acting karte hain and they keep chasing crores and put up inflated BO collections. I think this year Akki will have back to back hits with Baby, Brothers, Gabbar and Singh is Bling much like 2012 when he had 4 hits.
on Dec 20, 2014Very gud yr.....well said.. vry well said
on Dec 20, 2014Twinkle Twinkle Super Star, One and Only Akshay Kumar!God bless this man
on Dec 20, 2014Akshay kumar is just awsome........i want to meet him ....i have no words to say.....i mean he is a definition of fitness
on Dec 20, 2014Akki sir is Bollywood\'s god like cricket\'s god is tendulkar.....I see only akki\'s movies....
on Dec 20, 2014My best actor Akshay in bollywood ever,...I like his actions
on Dec 20, 2014The ideal Superstar Akshay Kumar is the heart throb not only because of his achievements but also for his humility. Love you Akki.....I sometimes feel you are superhuman...
on Dec 20, 2014akshy kumar is my favourite hero...... i wish to meet him one time in life... if he reads my message to add me
on Dec 20, 2014sir I want to meet u once a time u r a super hero for me
on Dec 20, 2014It\'s refreshing to know to an Indian actor can make his own mark on the industry without coming from a film fraternity like the majority of his colleagues (excluded Shah Rukh Khan). Akshay is greatly underused in Indian cinemas, and it\'s a shame he can\'t or won\'t make crossover films.would love to see him in a movie with Jackie Chan.
on Dec 19, 2014my ideal ...my hero......my favourite..... qdioka raja dilka sehjada.... boss ka boss khiladi vaiya comedi ka badsha ... action star aksay kumar...... i know he is a good humen being,caring and very very charming persionality.. love u sir.......i love u very very very very very very very much..... i have only wish to meet you,it\'s not only my wish also my dream. whenever i see your picture i m very happy.for me there is no actor like u in bollywood. ican\'t explain more becoz whatever i say its very less for the hounerable man .i just love him................. to the admin, plz show me a way to meet my dream,i will be very glad to u.
on Dec 19, 2014