‘More than a huge star, Akshay’s a fantastic actor’
Filmmaker R Balki is all geared up for the release of his next, Padman, and he can’t stop gushing about the film’s lead, actor Akshay Kumar.
The film is based on the life of Tamil Nadu-based man, Arunachalam Muruganantham, who brought a revolution of sorts when he invented low-cost sanitary napkins. Considering the sensitive subject, Balki is touching upon through the film, was it important to rope in an established star to help convey the message? “Akshay is a huge star, but more than that, he is a fantastic actor. We always keep thinking of him as a great star, but he is also an incredible actor, because he lives the role,” explains Balki.
Balki asserts the film is not a docu-drama based on Muruganantham’s life, but an adaptation. “Of course, there’s a bit of fiction in the film, but that is cinematic liberty. But what matters is how we deliver Muruganantham’s life and do justice to it. I don’t think anybody could have done it better than Akshay.”
So were there any special efforts from Akki to try and imbibe any nuances or traits of Muruganantham? “No, Akshay has not copied him at all. He has brought his own skill and quality to the whole film, and given it an original flavour. I think the incredible thing Muruganantham did, and yet the world was calling him mad — that bit of the story Akshay has interpreted so intelligently and so from the heart — he has just lived the role as if he was the man. He has interpreted his life beautifully.”