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Akshay vs John at the box office

Both Akshay Kumar's Gold and John Abraham's Satyamev Jayate display patriotic flavor in sync with India's Independence day celebration mood. Arti Dani speaks with the two action heroes

John brings 'Angry Young Man' back to screen 
 
After making his debut with an erotic thriller Jism in 2003, John Abraham instantly became a hit because of his well-built physique and dimpled good looks. He followed it up with successful movies like Dostana, Dhoom, Taxi number 9211 etc. 
When everyone was only focussed on his gorgeous looks, John decided to reinvent himself as a producer by backing strong scripts with good content. He kicked off his production house with a bold subject like sperm donation in Vicky Donor and followed it up with the equally risky Madras Café. His last few films  including Parmanu - The Story of Pokhran focussed on the subject of patriotism. 
His latest Satyamev Jayate which releases today in the UAE also deals with patriotism and corruption but John wants to make it very clear that the film is a completely entertaining commercial film. "The story revolves around corruption which is very prevalent in our society. Just like you had Amitabh Bachchan, an angry young man, in the 70s and the 80s who stood up for the frustration of society, my character is standing up for the frustration and pain in society today caused by corruption, molestation of women etc. It is an aspirational film in a way but we have presented it in a hard-core commercial entertaining way," said John while talking to City Times over the phone last week.
The title of the movie means the triumph of truth. So what inspired him to sign this action-packed film? "The story inspired me to sign the film. I really enjoyed the narration. It has the right amount of emotion, action, suspense with some amazing twists and turns and lots of face-off moments with strong dialogues." In the film, John's character is responsible for taking out the corrupt police officers from the department.
Though John plays a vigilante in the movie who fights against corruption and social injustice, he doesn't want to call this a vigilante film, "This is not a vigilante film because this film shows you two sides of the coin. What you see in the trailer is only the tip of the iceberg." 
The special dance number Dilbar from the movie is a big rage, did he anticipate the song to be such a big hit? "I personally never expected this song to be such a hit. I have been told by T Series that Dilbar is the most viewed song on YouTube in Indian cinema's history as it has more than 400k+ views. I didn't expect that. People are loving all the other songs as well but Dilbar has broken through every chart." 
On clashing with Akshay Kumar's Gold
" It doesn't matter honestly. Akshay is also an actor and I am also an actor in my film. My producer Bhushan Kumar has been very clear from the first day of the shoot that this film has to release on the 15th of August. It is not going to affect Akshay and me in our personal space since both of our movies are releasing on a holiday, I believe there is space for two movies. I have always wished Akshay well."
 
This is how John does those dangerous stunts on screen
"If the fight scenes don't look gritty and rough then I will get into trouble, so it better look real tough. I never prepare for action scenes. The only preparation I do is by being alert on the day and making sure that I am well rested and also that I am not taking any antibiotics. The difference between action and dance is - in dance if you make a wrong step, you look stupid but you can reshoot that. But in action, if you take a wrong step or a make a wrong move, then you get injured. We have to be very alert when we do action and you also need the proper amount of sleep. So that's my preparation before I do an action scene. I generally do my own stunts. The best part of shooting the intense actions scenes for this film was that the minute the director would shout 'CUT', we would break into laughter. My co-star Manoj Bajpayee is a funny guy and he cracks so many jokes on the set." 
 
 
 
Akshay - The Patriotic Hero 
 
 
 
Akshay Kumar is the new face of patriotism for Hindi movies. Though his last few films like Toilet - Ek Prem Katha, Rustom, Airlift etc were loved by the audiences, many feel that he forced the current government's agenda into everyone's face, an issue that entire India is currently grappling with. Akshay believes that no other genre in movies can give an actor the feeling of love and pride as  "when you see people in tears because you remind them of a better future because there is always light at the end of every struggle. India has so much to talk about, there are so many heart-wrenching stories to be told about many brave Indians. Historical moments, good or bad, is a reminder of what we have been through and what we are capable of. It always takes teamwork to become a champion, if our nation used teamwork to unite our many differences we would all live in peace, until then, I can only show them a taste of what good can do,' said Akshay while talking to City Times about his latest film Gold that releases in the UAE today. 
Gold is a period sports drama set in the early 30s and the 40s hence the entire cast worked hard on the authenticity and the accent of the characters. "Challenges are there in every film, but nothing an actor can't handle, there were no sharks or snow falls, so I have nothing to complain about... It was so refreshing to be portraying a 1930's  and 40's character, people walked differently, spoke differently, held themselves differently back then; it was a time of respect, cleanliness, fear and change. I think my director Reema has done a wonderful job transporting all of us into a time I actually wished still existed, you'll know why when you see the film." 
Just like Christmas holiday is mostly booked for Aamir Khan's movies and Eid is booked for Salman Khan, Akshay has booked the Independence Day weekend in Bollywood for the last few years with his movie releases.  So what inspired Akshay to sign this sports drama? "The very story itself, it grips you, it inspires you, it makes you so proud to be Indian that not a single bone in my body could walk away from such a Golden period of Independent India. What the real team faced, the politics, the funding, the journey, the training, the obstacles, the divide, we should all know their story, we should celebrate their achievement, this sporting team put 'Free India' on the map."  
Akshay has been playing a common man in his last few films hence we haven't seen him doing a lot of action in his film. Since he is one of the biggest action stars, does the Khiladi star miss doing action movies? "My heart does, but my body is content having a physical rest, not that I'm resting but at least I'm not hanging off wires and jumping off stadium rooftops right now. But I do have a war drama called Kesari coming up next year which will be enough action for my fans for one year." 
Many feel that Akshay has constantly supported the current government via his movies. We asked him if being one of the most admired artists in India brings some kind of a creative responsibility.  "In the words of SpiderMan, 'With great power, comes great responsibility', I owe my fans a good time, they have blessed my life, the least I can do is keep them entertained by being as versatile and creative with my scripts and genres as possible. Being famous is a two-way street, the more I give to them, the better my industry does in return, which keeps me in business, which allows me to reinvent myself next time around. Gone are the days where I had to do whatever was offered to me, being able to love the work I do because I choose to do it, is life changing, not only for me but for others as well now."
 
 
Akshay's biggest ambition ...
"Change. Change is everything, Improving lives whether it's through laughter, or inspiration, remembering history, or creating positive vibes. Learning anything through the form of entertainment has a very powerful impact. I showed my movie Gold to some children in Delhi just now, and when I asked them what did they think the film was about, they immediately said 'Team Work and Unity'.I was so impressed, they felt so empowered when they walked out that I wish I could show every child the benefits of fighting for one's dreams, representing one's country and fighting for pride on the field and not on the streets."
 
arti@khaleejtimes.com