In this special throwback interview from 2000, Akshay Kumar spoke to Subhash K Jha on career, life, and love.
Professionally, this has been a terrific year for you?
Yeah, this has really been a terrific year for me. I went from Jaanwar to Hera Pheri to Dhadkan.
But with the sunshine come the clouds?
Doesn’t that happen everywhere? Whether in cinema or any other profession, everyone tries to pull down everyone else. So why should I be the exception? It’s perfectly natural for people to bring clouds into my sunshine.
This was in 2000 when Shilpa Shetty learned about Twinkle Khanna’s presence in Akshay Kumar’s life. She let loose a volley of accusations as she rightly felt betrayed. In an interview with me soon after his break with Shilpa, this is what Akshay Kumar had to say.
But is it natural for an ex-girlfriend to call you sick and disgusting?
I think she’s having her say. Let her. I don’t want to comment on any of the compliments that she has been paying me so generously. I have no clue why she’s going on and on about me. So okay, we broke up. Heartbreaks are a part of life. She should get on with her life and let me get on with mine.
But she seems very bothered with the fact that you’re seeing Twinkle ?
I can’t understand why. Shilpa and I have separated. She has made sure that the world knows it. Now that she has beaten her drums loud enough, she should stop lashing out at me. I feel very sorry for the way she has been speaking. There’s so much bitterness in her. My advice is, please go ahead with your life and let me go ahead with mine. Even I can say a lot of things about what happened between us. But that is not my style. I’ll never hit out at people whom I was once close to. I’ll say one thing, though. The Shilpa that I know would never talk the way she’s been talking about me. I think she’s being provoked by people around her to talk that way. I still say Shilpa is a wonderful girl. I’ll always think well of her. When I read what she has to say about me, I feel like she’s talking about someone else.
Why has your clothes designer Rocky S, who’s a close friend of Shilpa Shetty, stopped making your clothes?
He’s quite busy with his other assignments. He has other artistes to design for. He probably wanted a change. I am very happy for him in whatever he’s doing.
Do you think he has stopped designing for you because he’s close to Shilpa?
Why on earth would anyone let his professionalism be hampered by his personal friendships?
