Action is easy, comedy toughest: Akshay Kumar

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar talks about the various roles he has played.

NEW DELHI:

He has proved to be a ‘khiladi’ of both genres — action and comedy. But kicking and boxing in front of the camera is far easier than making the audience laugh, says Bollywood star Akshay Kumar.

“Action is easy, it is very easy. Comedy is very difficult,” Kumar told IANS. “You know, you can kick your legs, punch someone very easily and do action. In fact, action can even look great through camerawork. Even for an emotional scene, you can put glycerine in the eyes and make any artist cry and the viewers think the actor is crying, so people also start crying,” said Kumar.

“But to make someone laugh, you have to work very hard. So comedy is tough — the toughest genre,” he added. Kumar became the undisputed action star of Hindi films with projects like Khiladi, Sabse Bada Khiladi, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, International Khiladi, Waqt Hamara Hai and Mohra. The actor is now set to play a gangster for the Once Upon A Time In Mumbai sequel. He also has films like Oh My God!, Khiladi 786, Rowdy Rathore and A Wednesday lined up, reports Hindustan Times.

Tryst with comedy

In 2000, he tried his hand at comedy and hit it off with Hera Pheri. It was followed by others like Garam Masala, Phir Hera Pheri, Bhagam Bhaag, Welcome, Singh Is Kinng, Housefull and Tees Maar Khan. “Nothing has changed about comedy. People enjoy what you give from the heart. Don’t try and go by the trend. Go with your heart and mind,” said the actor who has done about 100 films in his 25-year long career. “The audience only enjoys an entertaining film. See, the black and white film The Artist is the talk of the town. Who knew that a black and white silent film would come in 2012 and do so well and take away the Oscar?”

Kumar is now waiting for the sequel of Sajid Khan’s 2010 comic film Housefull to hit the theatres on April 5. Housefull 2 has been subtitled The Dirty Dozen, thanks to the number of artists in it. Apart from Kumar, it has Ritesh Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade and John Abraham, with Jacqueline Fernandez, Asin Thottumkal, Shazahn Padamsee and Zarine Khan in the cast. They are joined by senior actors like Mithun Chakraborty, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and
Boman Irani.

However, unlike most stars who find it cumbersome to work with so many actors, Kumar says the experience was unmatched. “Multi-starrers are fun to work on. There are so many actors, so many people that you end up laughing and giggling with even during the take. The director gets fed up and says cut, but somebody or the other keeps goofing up or saying something wrong,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2012.