FILM INTERVIEW: AKSHAYE KHANNA
Award-winning Homebody Cannot Keep Mouth Shut About Latest Film
He is an award-winning Bollywood actor who is also quite the homebody. Yet, even Akshaye Khanna could not keep his mouth shut for Priyadarshan’s Aakrosh, which the Filmfare-winning actor stars opposite Ajay Devgn, Bipasha Basu, and Paresh Rawal. While he will probably not add to his Filmfare collection of Best Male Debut (Border) or Best Supporting Actor (Dil Chahta Hai), Akshaye certainly believes in Aakrosh enough to come out of his shell.
Of course, the talented actor — who starred opposed Aamir Khan in Dil Chahta Hai, Aishwarya Rai in Taal, and Saif Ali Khan in Race before working with Anil Kapoor the producer in Gandhi, My Father — truly enjoys his privacy and hopes no one confuses his promotional activities for Aakrosh for meaning Akshaye will make himself more readily available for the press.
“I love being low-profile. I don’t like to be in the press all the time,” the generally reclusive Akshaye told the press during an interview this week. “There are some people who love to be everywhere and visible all the time. I don’t like it. I like to be invisible.”
At age 35, Akshaye has definitely crafted quite the public persona, despite his reclusive nature. In his nearly 13 years in the industry, not only has Akshaye won two Filmfares, but he was also named Best Villain at the 2009 Stardust and IIFA Awards for Race, while also claiming a Best Actor honor for his role in Gandhi, My Father at the Australian Indian Film Festival.
Through it all, he enjoys his personal time. And just what, exactly, does Akshaye do in his free time, you ask? Naturally, the reclusive Akshaye has an answer at the ready.
“In my invisible time, I watch a lot of movies, I read a lot, I have friends and family, so I spend time with them and I sleep to the fullest. That’s what I enjoy,” the son of Vinod Khanna candidly informed the press.
Then again, as much as Akshaye enjoys his moments in the shadows, there are times when the actor, who made his debut in the 1997 film Himalaya Putra, understands the value of stepping into the limelight and hamming it up just a tad.
“Definitely, when my film is about to release, I do whatever I can,” Akshaye humbly told the press about the times he is open to presenting himself to the in-your-face Bollywood press corps.
Ironically, Akshaye’s reclusive lifestyle is exasperated by the fact that he is quite choosy about which films he seeks to associate with. As films featuring Akshaye as a leading or supporting cast member are few and far between, it is only natural for the media to see very little of him over the course of the calendar year, despite his willingness to promote whichever of his productions happened to be released at any given time.
The way Akshaye sees it, there is nothing wrong with his miser film selections and press appearances.
“I believe, in today’s time, it’s better to sit at home than do a bad film. I’m very satisfied with my career. It’s been 16 years since I gave my first shot. It’s been a long time,” Akshaye humbly recalled. “In a population of one billion, very few people get this opportunity to work in films, so I feel very blessed. It’s not easy to survive as an actor, so I’m very happy.”
Apparently Akshaye is also happy about Aakrosh, which is his first release of 2010 and releases on October 15th. Adding to his happiness is the fact that he is working with Ajay Devgn, both of whom last worked together in the 2002 film Deewangi.
“I’ve gotten back with Ajay in a film after eight years. In fact, I told him recently that we should work together more often,” said Akshaye, who last appeared in Shortkut – The Con Is On. “Apart from having a very good personal relationship, I think we share a very good chemistry on screen. We work well together as actors, and there is a comfort level between us, and I think that’s very important.”
Akshaye, of course, also developed a comfort level with his other co-stars, Bipasha Basu and Paresh Rawal, but one thing Mr. Khanna is not so savvy about doing is producing or directing.
“I have no plans to get into direction or production. I just don’t have any inclination,” he stated to the press. “Some people have, and they feel that one day they will direct a film, but I don’t have any such wish. I’m very happy being an actor.”
Such happiness will extend once more before 2010 is over, when he appears in Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan.
Until then, Akshaye just reclusively hopes audiences are happy with his performance in Aakrosh, which opens on October 15th.
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