Akshay Kumar: The rebel without a pause

In the last couple of years, Akshay Kumar has made it a point to do at least one film that has him playing a crusader. Whether it’s his turn as the Kuwait-based businessman who helps evacuate 1,70,000 Indians when the city is under siege in Airlift, or the village bumpkin who champions against open defecation and leads a movement to build toilets in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, or his upcoming film Padman, which has him creating a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine, the Bollywood superstar has effectively taken on roles that are not just skin deep.

Even The State Vs Jolly LLB 2, for that matter, had the khiladi taking up the moral responsibility of a person’s death and redeeming himself. The film neither had him playing a larger-than-life character nor did it have any of his inimitable action stunts, yet it did a business of Rs 114 crore. In fact, the superstar has been striking the perfect balance between his socially-relevant outings and box office collections. Thanks to this, his repertoire now includes films that are eye-openers, besides primarily being mass-entertainers.

Trade analyst Komal Nahta agrees, “While Toilet: Ek Prem Katha dealt with open defecation, Jolly LLB 2 dealt with another problem, so his films have a message. It is an intelligent decision because those movies are working. Entertainment with a message always creates an impact. Akshay has found his niche in that space and it is working well for him as well as his producers.” Raja Krishna Menon, who directed the actor in Airlift, says, “Akshay realises that he has the power to change the way society looks at something and he is taking that responsibility seriously. 

Post Airlift, he seems to be taking a conscious call to do films that mean more than simple entertainment. That’s great for the society and industry. People look up to stars and when he espouses a view, they listen.” Shree Narayan Singh, who directed the superstar in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha adds, “Somewhere Akshay sir by featuring in socially relevant films is helping the country’s population to think about issues which were considered not worth looking at. He is definitely conveying a strong message through his films especially to the younger generation to make sure they develop a tomorrow which each one of us will be proud of.”

What makes him stand out is his innate humour that makes his crusader act entertaining and, at the same time, succeeds in getting the message across. For instance, one of the posters of his upcoming film, PadMan, has him standing on a pile of cotton with the tagline, ‘Superhero hai yeh pagal’. Obviously, the makers are driving home a message equating him with Hollywood superheroes, like Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. The difference being unlike them, he is one not because of his brawn, but because of his brain and his ability to herald change.

Also, unlike some actors who embrace a cause that they are tackling in a film only till the time it releases, Akshay goes beyond the movie. An insider says that even after Toilet: Ek Prem Katha has come and gone, the superstar hasn't given up on his fight against open defecation. “He regularly gets calls from Delhi on the progress of constructing public toilets and Akshay is in complete sync,” informs an insider.

Interestingly, it’s not just films, even his commercials have him awakening the patriot in you. Whether it’s the one that has him endorsing high-end tiles or motors, the recurring theme is that of nationalism. Komal feels that it is a conscious decision on the actor’s part. “It can’t be a coincidence that he is getting films and creatives for commercials in the socially relevant space. He has the luxury of picking what he wants and he chooses those which send a message to the youth of the country,” says Komal.

Raja is of the view that people go to Akshay for the same reason. “Once you take a certain stand, people will try to use that image of one who is changing the society or making a point. I don’t know whether he is choosing to do this and not  others or those ads are coming to him, but more power to him!”