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EXCLUSIVE: Akshaye Khanna: If I am a reserved person, I am a reserved person. What the f**k is the problem?
Akshaye Khanna speaks to Pinkvilla on his role in Ittefaq, why does he prefer being reclusive and what kind of roles entice him.
Every time Akshaye Khanna appears on celluloid, it is difficult not to fall for his performance. Following the 'Less is more' mantra, Akshaye makes sure to choose his scripts meticulously. Each character of his has an edge to it and his body of work is hard to miss. Be it Dil Chahta Hai, Gandhi, My Father, Taal, Akshaye managed to floor us with his versatility.
Akshaye was last seen in Ittefaq where he essayed the role of a cop. Those who watched the movie couldn't stop raving about Akshaye's performance.
We got in touch with the actor on his role in Ittefaq, why does he prefer being reclusive and what kind of roles entice him.
Here's an excerpt from the interview:
Your last movie Ittefaq was received well by the audience. How does it feel?
It feels great. More than me, I feel happy for Abhay and Juno because they are reviving their company after such a massive legacy. I am very happy because it has been a great journey and we think we have made a solid film and any kind of recognition and praise feels good.
Your character, Dev, in particular, garnered the maximum praise. Karan Johar during a press conference mentioned that he was scared of your reaction to the script. What was your first reaction when you heard the script?
When I read the script, I really liked it. I loved the writing. I liked the world that he created and I loved my character the most because it was something which I could do something with. See, a actors job is whatever is on paper how much value you add to it, what you bring to the table. I thought I could bring something to the table and I thought I could add something that was not on the paper. Whenever you get that opportunity you get excited. So, that really excited me.
Everything seemed right, the casting seemed right I thought Sidharth Malhotra was fit for that role, Sonakshi Sinha was good for that role, there were great people backing the film like Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar so everything seemed in place.
Also what about Dev, the character which intrigued you the most?
I just found that it was very written well. It was the character that drives the film. It is the character which provides all the entertainment in the film. Once the writing is backing you, then you can't mess with it. You can only add, add, add. It is very rare that you get such an author-backed role. So that was the real draw. You smell blood.
We see less of Akshay Khanna on screen. Is it a conscious effort to be selective about your films or any other particular reason?
There is no reason. Next year if I get five films or ten films, I will do it. If I find one, I will do one, so it depends on what every actor responds to. I remember I was chatting with Aamir Khan the other night on Diwali and he was telling about his career and how he did Mangal Pandey after taking a break of 3 years. He said that he did not react to any material, he did not want to do anything. I am sure that happens to every actor. We are so dependent on other people. I don't write scripts and have to choose from whatever is offered to me so it really depends on year to year and month and month.
What is your call Akshaye? What kind of roles really entice you?
If you look at my career, I have done all kinds of roles but more importantly my writers, directors have not restricted me to a certain role. I have been part of many romantic, actin, thriller, dramas, all kind of films. Also, the audience has accepted me in all kind of roles because I could be cast in any role but the audience has to accept me na. I am grateful to all of them.
You took a brief break from work before we saw you in Dishoom. What was the reason behind it?
It was a mixture of a couple of things. I wasn't getting the kind of work I wanted to do and I had some personal issues also which did not allow me to work but that's all in the past.
While you contemporaries are slaying it on social media, we see less of you. Is there a possibility that Akshaye will be joining social media anytime soon?
I might in the future. I might open a Twitter account. Although I am not comfortable doing it but I don't know but let's see. I mean it is a huge platform and I guess being someone who is in 'so-called' public profession, I think I should try. There are so many actors who are not on social media but like I say to each his own.
Do you think you probably lose out on a lot due to your absence on social media especially at the time when everyone has become so aggressive about social media promotions?
I don't know, somebody should do a Ph.D. on it because social media, it doesn't make you spend on a movie ticket. I honestly feel that people decide they want to watch a film or not by watching the promo, you don't decide it based on if I am on Twitter. of course, you create a lot of awareness about the film on social media but they will decide to watch the film or not by seeing the promo. The awareness, of course, is created on social media but the ticket is not bought, the ticket is bought depending on if they like the promo.
You are known to be a reclusive person. Is it something that you have inherited or something that you developed over time?
I have always been like that from the beginning. I am not a social person, I like my space. I don't see why this is so unusual, why people ask me this question with so much frequency. If I am a reserved person, I am reserved person, what the f**k is the problem? Why is this so unusual? It is such a normal and natural thing. is there something wrong with me? No, I am good.
If a biography has to be written about you, what would you want its title to be?
I don't think that will ever be made but if at all there is I would like it to be titled, 'Ittefaq', 'By Chance', 'Co-Incidence'.
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