Shubha Shetty-Saha

Mumbai:Akshay Kumar is in a professional phase where almost everything he touches is turning to gold. Now with strong rumours of him surpassing even Shah Rukh Khan’s market overseas — he’s apparently demanding Rs 15 crore per film, perhaps the highest fee demanded by any actor in Bollywood — Akshay has turned into an extremely confident player.

Basking on the success of ‘Heyy Baby’, Akshay has moved on to ‘Bhul Bhulaiya’, which he claims is the ‘first psychological thriller ever in Bollywood’. It’s surprising to see someone almost written off as a non-actor now almost toppling the stars on top.

Akshay says humbly, “When your films are doing well, everything seems to be going fine. There is no good or bad here, it all depends on how successful you are. If your films are flopping, you are considered bad, even if you are brilliant. If people today say I have arrived as an actor, I take it as a compliment, but it wouldn’t affect me too much — perceptions can change overnight.”

Even though he is on a fast route to being numero uno, he has no goal in sight except, “I am still hungry for great roles. I just hope I keep doing this as long as I can. I have miles and miles to go before I sleep. I have so many roles to play, personally and professionally and so many things to discover. I am truly excited about what will unfold with time,” he says.

Is he afraid that it’s lonely at the top? “When I get there I will know. Yes, loneliness does scare me, but as long as I have my friends and family with me, the question of loneliness does not arise.”

Talking about Vidya Balan, his co-star in ‘Bhul Bhulaiya’ he says, “This film belongs to Vidya. She has done an excellent job.”