Akshay Kumar : Small stunts can also kill you

Akshay Kumar has jumped off a building’s terrace and engaged in a violent fist fight for his forthcoming film “Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty”. But he believes that small or big, one needs to be cautious while doing any stunt as it can be fatal.

When asked if agile body, sharp memory and rational mind are required for doing risky scenes, he told IANS: “I agree, but it’s not just for difficult stunts. Even a small jump from a stool requires all of that. We can’t take small stunts for granted because the biggest stunt doesn’t get you hurt. It’s the small stunt that can kill you.”

For the forthcoming actioner, directed by A.R. Murugadoss, the makers roped in popular British stuntman Greg Powell, known for his work in Hollywood’s super hit franchises such as “Harry Potter” and “James Bond”, to ensure that each stunt is executed well. And Akshay says that the action sequences will certainly surprise the audience.

“My director loves realism. That’s why when you will see the fight sequences, you will be surprised. It’s all real fight. I got to do AKIRU (a form of martial art),” said the 46-year-old, who plays an army officer in the film.

The realism doesn’t end with a few action moves. He says that the entire movie, shot in Mumbai and the capital, was filmed outside studios.

“We have not even entered a studio for the film. All were shot in real locations. The director refused to go near studio for the film. It was great working on real locations because it’s not easy when public is there but we did manage everything,” said Akshay.

He goes on to say that even when the film’s producer Vipul Shah suggested to shoot in a studio with a fake ship, Murugadoss refused.

“We did a climax on a ship. The director wanted to shoot on a real ship. It was little difficult to get permission to shoot on ship but we got it for a few days,” said the actor, who has often collaborated with Shah.

The two came together and gave blockbusters like “Waqt – Race Against Time”, “Singh is Kinng” and “Namastey London”.

“The kind of films he (Shah) makes is the kind that I also like. We get along very well. That’s why we succeeded in making six to seven films by now,” said Akshay.

Akshay may lead the cast of the film, but he feels Murugadoss is the hero of “Holiday…”.

Akshay is all praise for the “Ghajini” director and gives a lot of credit to the latter for the way the movie has come out.

“I met them (police officials and families) for a while but Murugadoss has been in touch with them for the last three years and tried to get whatever he could to incorporate in the film, so he did more homework than all of us put together,” he said.

“The whole film is dedicated to the Indian Army. The subject i.e sleeper cells that’s the highlight of the film. We think we know terrorism but how they operate is the best highlight of the film and the biggest USP is my director. He is the hero of the film,” he added.

Presented by Reliance Entertainment, “Holiday…” will hit theatres June 6.
Inputs by IANS