In 2015 Akshay Kumar juggled effortlessly between Airlift andSingh Is Bling. This year again he joyously juxtaposes the real-life saga Rustam with the crazily out of the world Housefull 3. Akshay tells Subhash K Jha why he has to mix the serious with the light in his career.
You play a split personality in Housefull 3. Did you read up on split personalities?
Arrey it’s just a comedy film. Not to be taken seriously. We didn’t study the human brain for me to play the part.I play a wannabe footballer. And I suffer from DID in the film. Did I read up on DID ?
Did you?
No! My character is not supposed to know he has DID.So why should I? The whole idea in Housefull is to make the unbelievable look believable.In Airlift the believable has to be made more believable. Comedy ko itna halka mat samajhjiye. I am so grateful to the Housefull franchise for allowing me to play so many twisted freaks. I repeat, comedy is not easy to do.
No one takes comedy lightly any more?
Oh, lots of people do.To me the Houseful franchise is as precious as the Khiladi franchise. Action and comedy are what I always enjoyed. I could do these two genres for the rest of life. Housefull is neither cheap nor tacky .It’s what I’d call posh comedy.This is comedy not just for the dumb.
Then who else is it for?
It’s for the dumber as well. Got you!Now that the shooting is done I am getting withdrawal symptoms.
Did you enjoy working with Ritesh Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan?
We boys had a ball. Ritesh has been with me in the franchise from the start. But Abhishek is new entrant.I had a lot of fun working with Abhishek. He’s a thorough gentleman .And I’d love to work with him again.
Did the girls have fun too?
Compared with the three girls we boys were angels.If the directors Sajid-Farhad had stopped them from giggling I promise you we’d have released the film much earlier.Ha ha I am a-joking.
So did Jacqueline, Nargis and Lisa have more fun than the you guys?
Any day, any time.They just couldn’t stop giggling.
Housefull 3 , then Rustam. They look like two different planets. How do you manage?
Well, I know there is a belief that men can’t multi-task. Whoever believes that hasn’t met me as yet. But I am not going to pretend it’s easy. I also can’t deny that I enjoy doing both the serious and comic roles.And let me tell you , comedy is also a serious business for me.
So you are pleased with the challenge of doing contrasting roles?
Oh ,very pleased. I am happy to juggle the two contrasting genres. I embrace both happily.See, I adore my Housefull franchise, as much as I adore the serious scripts that I choose.
Do the serious scripts require more of your attention?
Serious or comic, I don’t take myself too seriously. That attitude helps me enjoy both the genres. I take both the genres equally seriously.But at the end of the day whether it’s Rustam or Housefull 3, it’s all entertainment.I’ve always been an entertainer. Being an actor doesn’t mean you have to take yourself seriously. You just have to flow with the character.
Is that how you handle all your roles?
That’s what my experience has taught me. I like doing different genres of cinema. Why should I do just one genre? Its like putting all my eggs in one basket
What about your colleagues who break their backs over roles?
I fear for them.They put so much psychological and physical pressure on themselves. I sometimes want to take some of them on a holiday to Goa to unwind , just chill.We are in the business of entertainment.We aren’t neuro-surgeons.
Are you saying it’s a cakewalk playing the characters that you do?
Trust me, it’s not a challenge . It’s a joy.After all these years of interviews and writing why do you continue? Because you love it. Otherwise you wouldn’t be still doing it.Likewise actors carry on because they love what they’re doing.
Do you prepare for the serious parts?
All those actors who talk about preparing for a role for six months , character mein ghusjaana, etc… they’re lying!
You mean according to you, there is nothing like method acting?
There is . But not to the extent that some actors claim. Work is to be taken seriously. But it’s also important to know where to stop.Even Naseeruddin Shah just goes with the flow. An actor has to be water. You find your level in every character.See, I may not be at the top of the numbers game….
Says who?
I may not be at the top of the numbers . And I admire those who are at the top for how hard they’ve worked to be there. I’ll forever be grateful for where I am and the kind of roles I do. Some think I do too many films every year. It may be too much for some. But it’s never enough for me.
Ok, if you’ve to choose between Rustam and Housefull 3 which would you choose?
I can’t choose! They’re both equally important to me. If I just did serious or comic parts alone I’d go mad. At one stage of my career I was only doing action films. It nearly drove me nuts.I used to overhear directors discussing my casting. ‘Arrey yaar, wohjoaction wala part hai wohAkashay ko de do.Ayega thoda kick-shick karega.’ It made wonder.Was I fit only to do kicks?
You pulled yourself out of typecasting?
That’s how you challenge yourself. I began to enjoy my work. Acting is my passion just like martial arts. I can never be bored of either.
So who is the real Akshay Kumar?
The real Akshay Kumar likes to put his hands into all the cookie jars.At the end of the day I am a Punjabi. Variety is the spice of my life.And spice is the variety of my life.
The awards elude you every year. Is that a disappointment?
After all these years you don’t think I see it coming? But this year it was an honour to see Ranveer Singh win all the awards for Bajirao Mastani. His energy and guts actually remind me of myself. I was happy to lose the awards to him. Anyway my family is proud of my performances. That’s all I need.
When do we get to see you play super-hero?
How about a super-villain? I play that in Robot 2.

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Why On Earth Is Sushmita Sen Smoking A Cigar In Aarya’s First Look?

Season 3 of Aarya is being shot as you read this, and naturally Sushmita Sen is super-kicked about it, so kicked that she has put out a video where she is seen in the best Lady Boss version of herself.
Alarmingly, she is seen puffing away at a cigar, to complete her Badass Lady Boss image.
There was a time when women smoking cigarettes in Hindi cinema signaled vampishness. If a female actor was shown smoking it meant she had evil designs over the hero, and life in general.
Sushmita being Sushmita, a cigarette won’t do. A cigar it is, to go with her formidable image. The last Bollywood actor I saw smoking a cigar on screen was Premnath in the 1970s. Back then so many people didn’t die of cancer by smoking.
These are different far more dangerous and deadly times.
Sushmita is an iconic actor.She needs to be more careful about the image she projects . Smoking a cigar doesn’t enhance a woman’s(or a man’s) muscle power. Nor does it make her look cool.
About shooting for the third season of Aarya Sushmita says, “Aarya is synonymous with my name. I have lived as Aarya for two whole seasons and the love received by the audiences has only encouraged me to do more. Walking on the sets of Aarya Season 3 makes me feel at home and gives me a sense of empowerment. I’m grateful to the entire team at Disney+ Hotstar, Ram Madhvani Films and Endemol Shine India for the vision of creating Aarya and taking it to newer heights with every season.”
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Shah Rukh, Deepika, John Will Meet The Media On Monday At 4 pm(But There’s A Catch)

Pathaan has effectually discredited the efficacy of media interactions to promote a film. The film’s lead actors Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham did not conduct any press or portal interviews to promote the film.
And yet Pathaan is a blockbuster.
This weekend the Pathaan producer Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films took a call on behalf of the Pathaan team to do one media meet at the Taj Land’s End in Mumbai on Monday January 30 at 4 pm.
The three principal actors and director Siddharth Malhotra will address the media.
But here’s the catch: the media will not be allowed to ask any questions. There will be no Q& A s or one-on-one interactions.This basically means that the Pathaan team will have an opportunity to say what it wants to the media. But the media will have no say.
Make what you will of this one-way traffic.
A source close to Yash Raj informs me that this is the pattern regarding the media that Yash Raj will follow for future releases: no press meets no promotional engagements.
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Fake Projects of Pathaan Director Being Planted In Media

Siddharth Anand Denies Considering Any Project With Deepak Mukut
A word of caution to those marketing and publicity wizkids who think it’s okay to plant fake stories on (fake) projects with the Pathaan director.
It is not.
Such baseless announcements are meant only to raise the equity of the producers with whom Siddharth Anand’s name is linked. One such producer whose name has cropped up after the spectacular success of Pathaan is Deepak Mukut.
There were reports everywhere that Siddharth Anand’s next would be with Mukut.
Turned out to be a false rumour.
A source in the know informs, “Siddharth now has to complete Fighter starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone for Yash Raj.Then he is committed to direct the sequel to War 2 for Yash Raj films. They will then start work on the next film in the Pathaan franchise. There is no scope or room for any outside projects for Siddharth Anand. So every announcement that you read of a new film to be directed by Siddharth Anand for an outside producer is likely to be a hundred percent fake.”
When I asked Siddharth Anand about the supposed project with producer Deepak Mukut he promptly replied, “NOT AT ALL.”
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Pink Director’s Next Featuring Yami As A Crime Reporter To Stream From February 16

Anniruddha Roy Chowdhury whose Pink featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu was one of the most important films of 2016, is all set to release his next Hindi film.
Entitled Lost, Anniruddha’s film , based on true events, will see Yami Gautam Dhar(that’s what the actress calls herself after her marriage) as a crime journalist. LOST is an emotional social thriller that represents a higher quest, a search for lost values of empathy and integrity.
Inspired by true events, Lost is a story of a bright young woman crime reporter in her relentless search for the truth behind the sudden disappearance of a young theatre activist.

Lost
Says Aniruddha “The shoot of LOST has been an incredible journey. I have been eager for the release of our hard-worked venture. The film is a realistic highlight of media in a social context and I am sure that it will give the audience a compelling watch. I am curious about its release and see the responses it shall get. I hope they will welcome it with open hearts.”
Yami Gautam Dhar who plays the lead of the crime reporter says, “I can’t be happier and more proud of the film’s selection for the opening night at CSAFF. I feel like its one that the people will connect to and will be the one that you cannot miss, especially in the current age and time. I have loved playing this role because it was such a special experience, it allowed me to explore so many layers of emotions as an actor and the entire team has worked really hard on it. I genuinely cannot wait for the film’s release, especially to see the reactions of the audience to it.”
The crime investigation drama boasts a stellar cast. Along with Yami, the film will feature Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, and an ensemble of younger talent, including Neil Bhoopalam, Pia Bajpai, and Tushar Pandey, in pivotal roles.
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