In this throwback interview Subhash K Jha shares his very intense conversation with Akshay Kumar about the role of the press as well his film Khiladi 420 , which is celebrating 25 years since release.
It was a maddening scramble to a photo-finish out there in Canada. Even as producer Keshu Ramsay rushed to meet the deadline for the last shooting schedule of his Khiladi flick, Khiladi 420, the star of the show took time off to shoot for a romantic song in Switzerland with Shilpa Shetty for Dharmesh Darshan’s Dhadkan and also flew off to Kuala Lumpur for a star-studded concert. Back home gossip-mongers have been keeping themselves busy speculating on Akshay’s love life. Has he broken off with Twinkle Khanna? Is he back with Shilpa Shetty? Is he seeing Mahima Chowdhary? “For God’s sake don’t these people have anything better to do?” Akshay despaired from Toronto in his most hardhitting interview to date.
While you’ve been shooting in Toronto,the gossip magazines have been writing about your split with Twinkle Khanna. Care to clarify?
Hey, I never admitted to being involved with Twinkle, so where’s the question of clarifying about a split? But I’m glad I’m providing the sensation-seekers with some thrills in life. (Tongue lodged firmly in cheek) As you know, it’s my life’s ambition to spread happiness and joy among my fans and admirers.
Get serious Akshay. They are now linking you with Mahima Chowdhary?
(falls silent) What should I say about this kind of warped thinking? You know something? When I arrived in Toronto, after shooting with Mahima for about eight or nine days she turned to me and said, ‘You know, I was asked to be careful about you. That you’ll try to score with me. But I never knew you were completely different to the way you’re spoken about. I really enjoyed working with you.’ You can ask Mahima herself about this.
No thanks.Your word is more than enough.
But why is my word not even asked for before writing such rubbish? I am so shocked by this latest rumour. Can you believe, journalists warned Mahima against me? Is this their job? To play Cupid and Mother Hen whenever it suits them? Earlier they had tried to warn Preity Zinta against me when I was working with her in Sangharsh. Even Rani Mukherjee was similarly warned. I don’t know why, but any heroine I work with is warned against me as though I have nothing better to do than have flings and affairs with my co-stars. Basically,the way I see it, these magazines are trying to sell extra copies by projecting me as an incurable womaniser. Do they know how much damage they are causing my reputation simply to boost their sales?
While you are in Toronto,a section of the media has decided that you are trying to fill a gap in your love life with any woman from Mahima to Shilpa Shetty.You are even being linked with Shilpa’s sister Shamita.
(gets really upset) Good Lord! She’s just a kid. I treat her like a sister. Shilpa’s sister has always been very fond of me, and I’m fond of her. Do I have to hide my affection for somebody just because there are gossip writers with filthy minds on the scene? Just because I was involved with Shilpa ,does it mean I cannot be friendly with members of her family without fear of being misunderstood? While I was in Switzerland for Dhadkan last month,Shilpa,her mom and I had a wonderful time together.We played cards,joked and laughed together.If that gives some people reason for speculation ,so be it. Sometimes I just want to stand and shout, ‘Enough!’.Bahut ho gaya.Leave me alone.You journalists have your own family life which you guard so passionately.Well I have my own too.Let me live my life ,please.Stop getting wild about supposed my love life,please!’ Has anyone noticed,I have never spoken about my private life.Nobody knows the real truth.The day I open my mouth all these people who claim to give inside information to the press wouldn’t know where to hide.
There are details in some recent stories about you which seem planted by people close to you?
What can I say about this? I’ve no idea who does all this. The only plant I know is the one that grows outside my window. I have no idea how to call up journalists and plant a story. I have never done it but I know my colleagues do.I’m not saying all stars and journalists are like this. But some stars use journalists to hit back at colleagues they want to hurt. I have never been nice to a journalist just to have flattering things written about me. If the price of keeping my distance from some journalists and not speaking against colleagues is to be written badly about, then I’m willing to pay the price. Some magazine has written that Twinkle, my friend Ajay Virmani and I used to go out together and that I decided to split with her during these outings. How can anyone from the outside claim to know such things? Did I take the journalist along also? And how can the future of a relationship be decided by such things?
Do you feel betrayed when details from your life are leaked to the press?
Obviously it’s a feeling of great betrayal.When you trust someone and that person turns around to stab you in the back,you are bound to bleed.And then the media informs me that I’m the one responsible for the betrayal!Whom have I betrayed?And how do these gossip writers know about this?
This has been quite a trippy month for you. You even flew off to Switzerland for a song with Shilpa Shetty where you supposedly pleaded with her to be taken back.
This is very confusing,The magazines say I tried to get into her life again, and that she pushed me away. In the same breath they write that we are still together. What exactly are they trying to say?Did she push me away or not, first let them decide that. And please, just because they were picturizing a romantic song does it mean the two stars doing the song become romantically involved? Don’t these guys know the difference between acting and reality? In any case, such rubbish has been written about me and Shilpa ever since we started shooting for Dhadkan. They won’t let me live in peace in Mumbai and they won’t let me live in peace outside Mumbai.
One mag wrote that you shouted at Dharmesh Darshan because he shouted at Shilpa.
Do I look like the kind of guy who would shout at anyone? And would a man like Dharmesh take it if I did? I wish before writing such nonsense the journalists have the decency to call me and ask me about it. Please, don’t get carried away by what people say about me.
How is Khiladi 420 shaping up in Toronto? I believe you nearly sank during a sequence with Mahima in Lake Ontario?
Who told you about that? I think you should ask Mahima about. It was nothing, really. Me and Mahima were doing a song on a boat in the lake…. Look,I feel very embarrassed talking about it. Okay,if you insist. What happened was we were supposed to be struggling on the boat when I felt it was about topple over. I knew Mahima didn’t know how to swim. So I jumped in my jeans and heavy jacket, or else we would have both been in the water. I dived underwater and took off my jacket and tee-shirt. I started swimming with the boat with Mahima in it, towards the shore. It took me about forty-five minutes. The water was like melted ice.
So Mahima owes her life to you?
No, it’s the other way around. Because she put her weight on the boat I could swim safely to the shore by holding on to the boat. Actually this schedule for Khiladi 420 has been quite eventful. Once I jumped and miscalculated the fall. My head hit the bumper of a car. And I got a bump on my head. And by the way, I have done the most thrilling stunt of my life in Khiladi 420. It’s the most dangerous stunt in the eleven years of my career. Now don’t ask for details. I’d go as far as to say it’s the most daring stunt ever attempted in our films.
