Kambakkht Ishq is not vulgar or offensive: Akshay

Rajeev Masand , CNN-IBN
Posted on Jul 05, 2009 at 16:06 | Updated Jul 06, 2009 at 07:30

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After two flops Chandni Chowk To China and 8X10 Tasveer actor Akshay Kumar is back on the silver screen with Kambakkht Ishq, which is going strong at the Box Office.

In an interview with CNN-IBN's Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand, the actor talks about his new film, the critical reviews and strong collections it’s gathering; the Shiney Ahuja being charged with rape and the Levi's Jeans 'unbutton' act controversy.

Rajeev Masand: Your new film Kambakkht Ishq has just released and the opening figures are very impressive, however, the reviews aren't quite.

Akshay Kumar: I was reading a review in Variety magazine and it's the first time the magazine has done a review of a Hindi film. The review said the movie has one thing, which is the best and that is entertainment. We are in the entertainment industry and that is what I go for. I'm here to entertain people and I was very happy reading that.

There are some people who have different versions and different things to say about what they think. But at the end of the day we look at only one thing and that is the Box-Office result. And that is the most important thing and it works.

Rajeev Masand: Singh is Kinng and Welcome also didn't get great reviews but they did go on to become big hits. For those films the argument was they were too corny or silly even, but this one is being called vulgar and offensive?

Akshay Kumar: I don't think it's vulgar and offensive; it's about the battle of sexes. In such a subject certain lines which are there are natural. And I didn't find it vulgar and offensive, else, the Censor Board would have taken objection to it.

Rajeev Masand: Would you describe it as family entertainment?

Akshay Kumar: It's absolutely a family entertainment. There is nothing wrong with it. Which part would you say is crude or vulgar?

Rajeev Masand: There is a lot of foul language.

Akshay Kumar: What are the foul words you object to, like 'dog' or ‘bitch’? These words are used in everyday life. (Speaking in Hindi)

Rajeev Masand: Would you be comfortable with your son watching this film?

Akshay Kumar: He watched it. I'm acting in a film, it's a character that I'm playing. In fact, I'm completely the opposite of what I am playing in the film. I'm not a male chauvinist at all. I stay with my wife, my sister, my mother and my niece. I'm surrounded by women in my house and I respect them. It was just a character, which I like the way he takes off, and then when he falls in love, he goes on his knees and begs for his love. And I like that part of it.

Rajeev Masand: You recently had a screening in your house for your family and friends. What did the women in your house think of it?

Akshay Kumar: They liked it. They were entertained. And more than anything else, it's not a film where you learn something and come out. Boss, it's an entertainment. I recently saw a film called The Hangover, it's a million film and is doing a business of 5 million. It's an adult comedy and everyone enjoyed it.

I was very happy about the Variety magazine review because they realised it. It's an entertainment, they understood and that is what they wrote about it.

Rajeev Masand: Entertainment is a very tricky word. There is a very fine line between what is entertaining and what is offensive. There is a lot of suggestive dialogue; there is a lot of talk of sex. But don't you think of the manner in which the character insult each other.

Akshay Kumar: Is this something new? Or does no one know about it? See today, homosexuality has become legal, so what is wrong in talking about sex? The film is about battle of sexes. When the movie was about to release, it was written that it's a battle of sexes. What is wrong in talking about it?

Rajeev Masand: Since you have brought up the subject of homosexuality, homosexuals have been fighting for years to decriminalise homosexuality, on the other hand Bollywood has continuously made gay jokes and has continuously used them as stereotypes in films. Even in several of your film.

Akshay Kumar: They make fun of sardars as well, but I made Singh is Kinng.

Rajeev Masand: Even in Kambakkht Ishq there is a gay joke between yours and Boman Irani's character.

Akshay Kumar: It's a misunderstanding because he can't hear in the film so he thinks that I'm gay. I'm saying something else and he hears something else. So, it's not making fun of anything. It's just a character, which is talking; it's just a film. Come'on guys chill out. Just loosen-up, unbutton yourself mate. Enjoy yourself; it's just a film. You can't be so serious about everything; you can't be looking at ever dialogue minutely. It's just an entertainment.

Rajeev Masand: You are an action hero; you have a lot of young fans. Do you feel as an actor you have a responsibility? Because a film like Kambakkht Ishq could give out wrong signals, like it's cool to use bad language.

Akshay Kumar: It's not bad language. Words like 'dog' and 'bitch' have been used since much before (Speaking in Hindi). I'm not here to teach anything, I haven't made an education film, which I admit openly. I personally feel there is nothing wrong with it the audience is enjoying it. As you and I know the collections are talking, and if the collections and Box-Office is talking then that is what I'm concerned about.

Rajeev Masand: Do you crave critic's approval? Do you long for good reviews?

Akshay Kumar: Well if I get it, then fine, But if I don't I can't say anything to them. They have their own opinion to it. But I must say, whatever your opinions are, if you can while giving an opinion, be a little bit generous about everything. Because every producer makes a film with a lot of hard work. In Hollywood, they give time to the film after it releases; they give their reviews on Mondays. They give time to breathe, but here the film releases on Friday and reviews start pouring in from Thursday (Speaking in Hindi).

Rajeev Masand: Do bad reviews hurt a film?

Akshay Kumar: Yes, it does to a certain point. It's just like piracy. Piracy hurts the film industry. And I can understand if people who are writing reviews have themselves made so many good films.

Rajeev Masand: But a critic doesn't have to be a filmmaker.

Akshay Kumar: Today, if any of the cricketers like Sehwag or Tendulkar weren't playing properly the people to pass judgement are former senior cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar or Ravi Shashtri. They are people who have proved themselves. I can understand if Subhash Ghai or Yash Chopra comment about a film. But these days anyone can criticise a film. It is so hard to make a film; it takes everything to make a film.

The producer picks up so much money from banks, some sell even their houses to make a film.

Rajeev Masand: But isn't that a responsibility to make good films?

Akshay Kumar: Nobody tries to make a bad film. If you ask a filmmaker, according to them they are making films with the likes of Mughal-e-Azam. But they can go wrong, some people succeed and some don't. There are so many bad films but they do great business.

Rajeev Masand: I'm sure you have read that some of your films have been described as those films which are bad but do great business?

Akshay Kumar: That is fine. I'm still surviving. I'm not here to hear what anybody else has to say, I'm here to hear what my audience has to say. Are they enjoying it is the question. They are spending Rs 150 on a ticket and if they are enjoying it, what is wrong?

Rajeev Masand: To be entirely fair, not just the critics but also the Box-Office rejected your last two films. What do you think went wrong with 8X10 Tasveer and Chandni Chowk To China? Were they bad films or is the audience getting tired of Akshay Kumar?

Akshay Kumar: They must be bad films because I tried to do something different in 8X10 Tasveer.

But honestly if I’m asked which are the five films which I like in my career, I would count 8X10 Tasveer as one of them. It didn't work it's okay. People didn't appreciate it it's okay. But I would have to go with what people have to say; yet I personally loved that film.

I enjoyed working with Nagesh Kukunoor, I have learnt a lot from him. He is a very honest director who tried his best to make a good commercial film, it didn't succeed, no problem. About Chandni Chowk To China, there are many versions to why the film didn't work but I version which I believe is the second half of the film.

Rajeev Masand: The trade says Kambakkht Ishq is very important film for Akshay Kumar. If it fails Akshy is a finished man?

Akshay Kumar: If two flops finish a man then I have had 10 that have succeed? But if that is what they say then it must be. But I will try my level best till wherever and whatever I can do.

Rajeev Masand: Is it true that you had to significantly slash your price after these films bombed?

Akshay Kumar: It's because of recession; everybody had to go through that. Even a producer who had to go sell his film in the market had to slash his film down. Even the ticket prices were brought down. It's a cycle and every person has to go through that.

Rajeev Masand: Do you agree you were grossly overpaid before that?

Akshay Kumar: No I wasn't grossly overpaid because the business was right. It was absolutely perfect. The most important thing is I have a very different way of looking at films. I don't take an amount, which is huge; it's just a thing that people talk about. It's basically an amount and I have a share in it, if it does well. And if it doesn't do well my share goes away. I think it's fair, if a producer earns he gives a share to the actor also, so there is nothing wrong with it.

Rajeev Masand: Rs 18 crore on a film like Chandni Chowk To China, some would say that is a lot of money to make on a flop film?

Akshay Kumar: But then there is the case of the film Welcome where I took Rs 3 crore and the film did a business of Rs 57 crore. So there my producer didn't come home and gave me money. It's a business, sometimes the films do well, and sometimes they don't.

Rajeev Masand: Do you get depressed when films flop?

Akshay Kumar: Yes, I do get depressed about it and think about it a lot because one has spent at least a year with that film and then people didn't like it and didn’t enjoy it. So yes it does depress me, I'm human. It's like your own baby and when people don't like it, it hurts.

Rajeev Masand: What failure hurt you the most?

Akshay Kumar: Chandni Chowk To China hurt me a lot, because I gave a lot to that film and things didn't work out so that is why.

Rajeev Masand: You have worked with Shiney Ahuja in Bhool Bhulaiya. How did you react to the news of him being tried in court for rape?

Akshay Kumar: I didn't know him very well since I didn't have much interaction with him. I had all of three to four scenes with him. He was a very quiet person. He came once or twice to do some lessons of parkour because I was learning parkour at that time. So he used to come and play, but what I know of him is that he is a very quiet and shy boy.

Rajeev Masand: Were you surprised to hear about these allegations?

Akshay Kumar: Yes I was. I heard about it and it was quite shocking.

Rajeev Masand: A few months ago you were involved in an incident at fashion week, when you asked your wife twinkle to unbutton your jeans. It was an incident you had to seek bail for when a warrant was issued for you and you had to apologise. What did you learn from that incident?

Akshay Kumar: What happened that time is that my Levi's Jeans is called 'unbutton'. Last year I did the same kind of ramp walk where a model comes and opens the top button of my jeans and nothing happened. And this year again we did the same thing where a model was supposed to do it, but I said if anyone is allowed to unbutton, it will be my wife and she did it. This is what happened.

Later someone lodged a case, the sales of Levi's went up by 25 per cent and the brand singed me for another two years. And we all went home happily. I later came to know that the person who lodged the case had earlier lodged cases against a couple of more celebrities. So, maybe he enjoys doing that. Good luck to him and I felt like sending him a bouquet.

Rajeev Masand: Before the end of the year you are going to have three more releases Blue, Action Replay and De Dhana Dhan?

Akshay Kumar: I don't know, I can't say. Because of the strike everything has gone ahead and all the producers are getting together and deciding which films are going to release when.

Rajeev Masand: But all of these movies will be ready shortly?

Akshay Kumar: They are all ready.

Rajeev Masand: So there is a good chance that they might be released by the end of the year?

Akshay Kumar: I think out of the three, two should get released.

Rajeev Masand: At a time when actors like Aamir and Shah Rukh are doing one to two movies a year, you will have five to six releases this year. Are you choosing quantity over quality?

Akshay Kumar: It takes about 60 days to make a film. I come on time on sets and have even finished Namastey London in 32 days and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi was completed in 30 days and Action Replay has gotten over in 35 days. So if you make a film in 60 days. When you multiply 60 by four that is 240 days out of 365 days in a year. I take my Sundays off and on Saturdays I work till 2:00 pm.

I have lot's of time and just came back from vacation with my family. So, I have lots's of time and to do three or four films is fine. And with more films there is more business happening in the industry.

A few months back a light man was talking to me thanking me, he said I'm one actor who does so many films because of which he earns his living (Speaking in Hindi). I'm happy and I enjoy working.

Rajeev Masand: You recently completed shooting the second season of Khatron Ke Khiladi. One of the complaints against the first season was that fans didn't get to see you doing more stunts. Is that going to be different the second time around?

Akshay Kumar: You are absolutely right; I did hear this and have done quite a lot of stunts this time.

Rajeev Masand: For someone who has gone swimming with the sharks, has jumped off sky scrapers, wrestled with professional WWF stars and got a slip disc, what are you afraid of?

Akshay Kumar: I'm afraid of my wife. She's a woman and I'm very much afraid of her.

Rajeev Masand: Looking forward to seeing more exciting work and four or five star review work from you?

Akshay Kumar: I don't care, I only care about what my audience and Box-Office has to say. Stars if it happens, if Rajeev you give us a good review, I'll be very grateful, happy and obliged.

More on: To catch a star, Akshay Kumar, Kambakkht Ishq, 8X10 Tasveer, Chandni Chowk To China, Levi's Jeans