Nobody owns me!: Akshay Kumar

Actor Akshay Kumar seems to balance between his solo-starrers and films with ensemble casts, just as seamlessly as he juggles between action and comedy. And just like he points out that there are no favourites between the two genres, Akshay insists that he has no hang-ups about sharing screen space with other actors.

But though he doesn’t mind working with some of them many times over, he refuses to belong to any camp. As we catch up with the star for a quick tete-a-tete, Akshay gets candid about friendships and camps in the industry and reveals why comedies will always be a staple diet of his film career     

‘Twinkle loves me because I make her laugh’
Action’s in my blood, comedy in my heart. This world can’t survive without laughter, me neither. Just look around you. Your closest people are probably the ones who make you laugh the most.

Tina (wife Twinkle) too always tells me that the reason she loves me so much is because I make her laugh. She values that more than diamonds. It’s when I don’t make her laugh that I have to make do with gifting her diamonds (laughs). But seriously, there’s no greater gift than making others laugh. So it’s easy to see why a film like Housefull 2 is unputdownable for me.

‘I owe nothing to no one’
I work with them (director Sajid Khan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala) because shooting with them is as lovely an experience as the film itself. But I don’t belong to any camp. No one owns me, I owe nothing to no one.

There may be people who are too scared to make it on their own and feel that if they don’t belong somewhere, they belong nowhere, but that’s incredibly sad. I have people I love to work with from all walks of talent. So, if you want to work with me that’s great, if you want me to only hold your hand then I’m sorry, that’s where I draw the line.

‘Every equation comes down to money’
It is almost impossible to have true life-long friends here. Everyone is trying to survive and make the best of whatever situation they are given, some easily climb the monkey chain, some sadly fall off it.

Every equation comes down to money, success, and stature at the end of the day. That’s why I never and I mean never, mix business with pleasure. I have a handful of people in this industry who I really care about, the others I massively either admire, respect, thoroughly enjoy working with or happily stand clear of. We are a fraternity, but we are a respectful business fraternity, not a family planning a picnic.