I am quite fascinated by women: Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar is playing a MCP in his forthcoming release ‘Kambakkth Ishq’ who believes that he would never ever get hitched with just one woman for his entire life. However, his character falls in love, and how! Ending up exclaiming ‘Hai Yeh Kambakkth Ishq’, he goes on to proclaim that while men are from Mars, women are not from Venus, but in fact Heaven. Getting ready for his return to India so as to be in time for the film’s premier, Akshay Kumar chats with Joginder Tuteja over phone from USA where he had gone with his family for a holiday.

Akshay Kumar and a MCP. Now how believable is that?
Truly speaking, I don’t identify with my character in ‘Kambakkth Ishq’ at all. In the film, Viraj Shergill is a MCP while I am definitely not. Viraj thinks that he is someone who is God’s gift to women folk; woh apne aap ko bhagwaan ki den samajhta hai. On the other hand my saying is that if men are from Mars then women are from Heaven.

You seem to be quite fascinated by women.
Very much. In fact I personally feel that women have more guts than men. This is the reason why I agreed to host ‘Fear Factor’ as well. This is where all these women compete in situations that are more about guts than being physically powerful. Otherwise there are so many programs on TV for which I get offers to host them but then I agreed only for ‘Fear Factor’.

Coming back to ‘Kambakkth Ishq’ and the MCPs; have you come across any such men yourself?
Yes, I have. I know of so many people out there who have been born MCPs. These are the kind of men who are afraid of the word ‘marriage’ itself. They just don’t want to commit myself to one woman; the kind of trait that Viraj, my character in ‘Kambakkth Ishq’, possesses. These men are afraid of ‘pyaar’, ‘ishq’ aur ‘moahabbat’. My answer to them has always been that ‘Bachchu, jab pyaar mein padoge tab baat karenge’ (we will talk when you actually fall in love)!

And did you witness something like that happening with them?
Yes, and it has been quite funny. Such people who run away from love are most likely to get hitched in a big way. This is when they end up saying that ‘Hai, is kambakkth ishq ne jaan nikal di’!

But isn’t a title like ‘Kambakkth Ishq’ a little negative?
How can you say that? I don’t see it is as negative at all. In fact it’s a very lovely expression of love because those very people who were cursing love all this while can’t have enough of it once deeply in love. Chahe kitna hi bada MCP hi kyo na ho, agar ek baar pyaar mein gir gaya to bas gir gaya (Howsoever big a MCP he may be, once in love, he only falls down deeper and deeper)!

And how deep is the love between Akshay and Kareena in the film?
Well, as I would love to state, I and Kareena are like the Bollywood version of Mr. and Mrs Smith in ‘Kambakkth Ishq’. The way they share a love hate relationship is very engaging and relatable.

Is the film based on Mr. and Mrs. Smith as well?
No ways. That film had a lot of ‘goli-baari’, ‘maar-dhaad’ etc. Here, this couple has fights just like any other male and a female who are constantly at loggerheads with each other and keep encountering each other at numerous junctures. Believe me, after ‘Kambakkth Ishq’, Akshay and Kareena will be known as the new Mr. and Mrs Smith!

Talking of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, with Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards being a part of a Bollywood film, isn’t it getting a little too gimmicky?
That’s not the case really because these actors are a part of the film’s storyline. Yes, there was some amount of gimmicky, if you may say so, in ‘Singh Is Kinng’, where we roped in Snoop Dogg for a promotional track. As such he didn’t have anything to do with the film’s plot but he was still there. And if you look at it, then in true terms even Snoop Dogg came in because his rap number was an integral part of the film’s soundtrack and had become a chartbuster by the release of the film. So it was imperative that we shoot a music video with him for the end credit roll.

Other than Hollywood, from Bollywood too we have Aftab Shivdasani as another male lead in the film. How does he fit into the scheme of things?
Yes, Aftab has his own parallel track in the film and he has performed very well. I have worked with him earlier in ‘Awara Paagal Deewana’ and it was nice to reunite with him. He also plays a stuntman in the film; albeit a junior stuntman. In the film his character thinks that I hate him.