IS A-K PRODUCTION IN THE MAKING?
Kareena Kapoor Khan wishes for Akshay Kumar’s paycheque; turn producer with me instead, he quips
What connects two of Bollywood’s most accomplished actors, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan? To begin with, both are fearless. While Kareena has never hesitated to take up roles others would have thought twice about, Akshay’s seamless balance between meaningful and masala cinema has left his contemporaries astounded.
In conversation at the 17th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, with Sonal Kalra, Managing Editor, Entertainment & Lifestyle, the duo — colour coordinated in black — looked their charming best and enthralled audiences with their humour, candidness and much more! What set the ball rolling was a friendly banter between the two which started when Kareena said, “As far as pay cheque goes, I just want to get paid as much as Akshay Kumar does.” And why not, Akshay is among the highest paid actors in the world.
That clearly caught the 52year-old off guard. But he came up with a plan. “Main film banaunga, apna paisa lagaunga. Kareena does the hero’s role and she’ll be 50-50 partner in it. She will not take any remuneration and will have to take a 50-50 profit share,” he said.
Akshay further said he is ready to get a production company rolling with her. “It is a great opportunity to start a production. My name is AK and it will be called Akshay Kareena production,” he said, as the audience cheered and Kareena, too, joined in the fun.
In fact, the 39-year-old actor revealed, “I was actually behind the camera when Akshay gave his first shot for a movie.” At this, Akshay added, “When I was working with Karisma Kapoor (Kareena’s sister) back in the day, Kareena was so young I would lift her up and play with her. Today she is my heroine!”
What surprises his fans is the speed at which Akshay consistently churns out multiple films year after year.
Clarifying why he focuses on maintaining his pace instead of booking a specific festival release, he admitted, “You take 40 days to complete a film, I do four films a year. That means I get 205 days free. I can actually do eight films but I’m taking pity on the audience. I’m not the kind of actor who’ll live in a hotel for two months and get into the skin of the character. I can’t do this. It’s just acting, why are people taking so much load? All you’ve to do is follow the directions of the director. I can’t understand how people can take 200 days to shoot a film!”
While the conversation and friendly banter kept the audience entertained, the actors ended the evening on a high note, with an impromptu jig. Giving into the audience’s demand, Akshay and Kareena sportingly danced to the song Sauda Khara Khara from their upcoming release, Good Newwz.