The unbeatable Khiladi

The unbeatable Khiladi
(NSI News Source Info) Friday - August 01, 2008: It’s action time for Akshay Kumar and how! Things couldn’t have been better—his show Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi according to rating agency Amap opened to 1.7, a good start for a new show on a new channel. The complimentary messages have reached and he is understandably chuffed.
That he’s managed to stand out in an already cluttered space—game shows being hosted by superstars namely Shah Rukh and Salman Khan — totally justifies the impressive 1.5 crore per episode that the channel is supposed to have doled out to rope him in. It is likely to strengthen his reputation as a hit machine who in industry parlance is paisa vasool (value for money spent). In his case, it’s no small amount—the oft-quoted figure being Rs 30 crores. Meanwhile there is no confirmations yet on whether the channel will consider a season 2 of the show.
Speaking to Screen from Los Angeles where he was busy with Kambakkth Ishq, Kumar sounds both exhausted and exhilarated. “Mentally, women are stronger than men. They have been very brave in the face of danger,” and then after a pause, adding, “I have made those girls cry.”
Those who have seen the show will vouch for it.
The actor is as unrelenting and unsympathetic at most times as a sergeant at the boot camp. But that’s part of the charm. Sporting a scraggly look -- vests, bomber jackets, cheetah print zip up shirts, a closely cropped mane and a mean stubble with generous amounts of gray, Kumar looks dapper in a way that’s far removed from the look in his movies. Clearly, this is no song and dance sequence. What you have instead are snakes, vermin and jumps from dizzying heights and 13 brave girls with Akshay playing the ringmaster.
From all accounts, his performance at Bachchan’s The Unforgettable Tour in Toronto was a scene-stealer and then Singh Is Kinng, the title of his next film, has become a catchphrase all around what with PM Manmohan Singh’s government winning the confidence motion in Parliament. As for sharing screen space with Sly Stallone, we’d save that for another day.
The actor on his part is clear that no matter the degree of success, he would never take his audiences for granted. “To assume that one is bigger than the audience is nothing short of professional hara-kiri. I respect their intelligence.”
Well his theory seems to be working for the audiences if the successful run of his recent films is a measure—they seem to love him. And Bollywood is certainly cashing in on the success of the man with the Midas touch.
There is Vipul Shah’s Singh Is Kinng as also Chandni Chowk To China. The former, says the actor is the sort of film his father would like to watch while the latter is an autobiographical movie tracing the actor’s well-chronicled journey from his childhood home in Delhi to Bangkok where he worked as a chef and picked up his martial arts skills.
Any concerns about the actor having digressed from his action path would have been allayed by Khatron Ke Khiladi. And with the wide ranging genre of films that he’s signed up –comedy (Housefull), thriller (Eight By Ten with Nagesh Kukunoor) and everything in-between, his friends and detractors alike will be keeping an eye on him.