Bollywood’s hottest khiladi

While the Khans are busy brokering peace among themselves, Akshay Kumar has proven that he is one hero who dares to fly solo

THE HOTTEST thing about YashRaj Films’ Tashan was Akshay Kumar’s performance as Bachchan Pandey.

The hottest thing about IIFA, Bangkok, was Akshay’s stage performance to the title track of his yet unreleased Singh is Kinng.

And while the top Khans of Bollywood have camps and allies, Akshay flies solo to deliver soaring figures at the box-office. Obviously, he’s the threat of the season for the number one slot.

The latest buzz

Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan will soon openly war for number one position, when Shah Rukh’s Billoo Barber clashes with Akshay’s Chandni Chowk to China at the box-office.

Having delivered consistent hits over the past four years, Akshay’s rising figures are said to be on par with Shah Rukh’s box-office status.

Bachchan bonding

Bollywood’s only hero who has dared to say yes to the Bachchans’ Unforgettable Tour is Akshay Kumar.

Though there were earlier reported monetary hassles, IIFA in Bangkok wrapped up Akshay’s end of the deal to be part of whichever cities he can join them in (as shooting dates allow).

If Shah Rukh’s world tour deliberately clashes with this one, perhaps it’s not the Bachchans he needs to outshine but a certain Mr Khiladi Kumar.

Though Akshay earlier clashed with Amitabh in Waqt, the younger actor is all praise for the legend when he says, “I always saw my father in Amitabhji.”

Slotted with Stallone

Akshay’s next is Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakth Ishq, directed by Sabir Khan and set in Los Angeles.

Rolling on an international scale, for the first time it will be shot at Universal Studios and Akshay plays a Hollywood stuntman.

Opposite him is Kareena Kapoor playing an international model but that’s not all.

Sajid confirms that, “We have signed Sylvester Stallone to be a part of Kambakth Ishq. (He will play himself.) The expected budget of the movie is Rs90 crores!

Hollwyood hottie directs Akshay

Sajid Nadiadwala has also signed on top Hollywood stunt artiste, Spiro Razatos to direct Akshay’s stunts in Kambakth Ishq.

Spiro has been hired at an astronomical, undisclosed sum and has Hollywood blockbusters like Vantage Point, Bad Boys 2, 21 Grams and two of the Star Trek series to his name.

Sajid insists that, “Spiro is worth it! Kambakth Ishq is not about stunts; it is about the life of a stuntman played by Akshay. I have brought in Spiro to serve as a model for Akshays character.”

Fear Factor Kumar!

Yes, he’s also filming for the Indian edition of ‘Fear Factor’ hosted by him and shot in Bangkok, Thailand.

While shooting one of the episodes, Akki jumped off the tallest building in Thailand! ‘Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi’ will showcase 13 models and Bollywood actresses: Yana Gupta, Aditi Gowatrikar, Pooja Bedi, Sonali Kulkarni, Anita Hasnandani, Meghna Naidu, Tapur Chatterjee, Nethra Raghuraman, Anjana Sukhani, Dipannita Sharma, Vidya Malvade and Urvashi Sharma in competition.

The promotional video shows host Akshay Kumar on a skate board, straddled between two of the tallest buildings in Thailand!

Green Ambassador

Akshay has been chosen as the brand ambassador of the Green Global Foundation, started by the International Indian Film Academy to highlight the issue of global warming through the events that the organisation hosts.

The foundation partners with the United Nations Environmental Programme and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) headed by the Nobel laureate R.K. Pachauri.

Perhaps this cause is dear to Akshay’s heart, since his dad earlier worked with the UN.

Singh is truly Kinng

The unreleased film Singh is Kinng is building towards a mega Indian and international release on August 8.

“Through the Sikh character I play in Singh is Kinng (Happy Singh) we’re trying to convey that anyone with a positive attitude in life can be a king. It’s all about attitude, spirit and selfesteem,” explains Akshay.

Hysterical fans and stampedes now follow him wherever he goes and he grins, “IIFA was fantastic for me.

The warmth, the support, the mass hysteria . . It’s what makes all your hard work worth it when every member in the audience is behind every word you sing with their fists up, screaming, Singh is Kinng. What more could a Punjabi boy ask for?”