Game Changer

From fighting the bad guys and essaying comic roles to doing films based on real life, Akshay Kumar has not just evolved but also hit a purple patch.

- Rajiv Singh

THE MEETING WAS SLATED FOR THE third Friday of November at 4.45 pm in Film city, Goregaon, deep in suburban Mumbai. Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia was running late by over an hour. In Studio No 5, the shooting of Mission Mangal is on in full swing. Outside, two security guards with walkie talkies and Bluetooth headphones intermittingly screech “Silence please”. Mission Mangal is unique not just because it is being billed as India’s first space film but also because it has five women and two men in lead roles.

After an hour, the actor comes out of the studio, rushes to his vanity van, changes from his formal attire into tracks and T-shirt, steps into his SUV and heads for his home in Juhu, roughly 15 kilometres south of Film city. “I am extremely sorry for the delay,” he apologies. “I haven’t slept for two days and had to finish a few scenes, so got late.” Visibly drained, the strain of promoting Rajinikanth co-starrer 2.0, India’s costliest movie with a budget of over 500 crore, as well as various shooting assignments, including Mission Mangal, is showing on the face of Bhatia, who changed his name to Akshay Kumar in 1987.

The interview begins. Kumar, 51, is distracted. The culprits are not his ardent fans who can’t look through the dark-tinted glasses of his SUV, but the mobile home screen on which the interview is being recorded. “It’s a Phantom,” he smiles. “I used to love this character.” The way Phantom used to fight the baddies, he continues, and stay fit was amazing. “I even loved Tarzan,” he grins, explaining his attachment with the character. “I don’t wear any rings, chains or even a watch. Tarzan too didn’t believe in such things,” he says before breaking into his signature hearty laugh.

“It’s prestigious to be on the