Akshay Kumar’s most recent film, Bachchhan Paandey, may not have been a box-office success, but that won’t stop him from signing new projects and returning to the big screen. The actor has no reservations about taking on more acting and endorsement work, despite being accused of constantly working for money. Not only that, but the 54-year-old prefers to take things in stride and go on, even if memes tease him by implying that he will be in every biopic made.  Excerpts from a freewheeling chat:

Mujhe apni saari zindagi mein teen basic words samajh aaye — kaam, kamaayi aur karm. Main jee jaan laga ke kaam karta hoon. Zyada se zyada kaam karta hun taaki zyada se zyada kamaayi kar sakun. I don’t say no to any work that comes my way — kaisa bhi role ho, kaisa bhi function ho, kisi bhi cheez ki ad karni ho. Kyunki kaam se aati hai kamaayi aur uss se main koshish karta hun achhe se achha karm karne ki. For the past many years, I have paid the maximum tax each year, and I have contributed 10% of the remaining income to some noble cause. If today, I start thinking about doing less work, fewer films, fewer ads, then all these causes will be also be impacted in a way. Main simple insaan hun…Mujhe itna hi samajh aata hai — kaam kar, kamaayi kar aur karm kar.

If the meme is funny, I laugh. It’s normal to laugh if you find a joke funny, isn’t it? And who doesn’t like a good laugh? As for being at the centre of these memes, I couldn’t be happier because I’m glad that over the years I’ve managed to carve out a space for myself where I can fit into such varied roles. This is what has helped me stay relevant and in the memory of audience.

That’s not entirely true; I also do original scripts. Prithviraj, Ram Setu, Raksha Bandhan, OMG2, Gorkha, etc. are all original scripts. Yes, there are some remakes, too, but that’s because these are films I’ve watched and loved. I’m excited to bring this to our audience as I feel the market for the same hasn’t been tapped. And it’s not a one-way deal; even South Indian films borrow scripts from our industry. My films, such as Special 26 (2013), OMG – Oh My God! (2012) etc. have been remade in the south. Likewise, there are films featuring other Bollywood actors that have been remade as well. If something has worked and is successful, everyone wants a piece of the pie.

Writing OTT content is very different from writing a feature film. There’s so much more that goes into web shows — multiple characters, back-to-back episodes — that you’ve got to keep in mind a multi-season arc while writing to have the germ of the following seasons ready. But especially with The End, we are attempting to do something, which has never been done in our Indian space. The story, the technology, the characters... we are trying to make the kind of content that pushes the boundaries as we know it. The good news, though, is that I will start filming for it in the first half of 2023.

Firstly, let me tell you that I am elated with the success that The Kashmir Files has seen. It shows you the power of cinema and that there is no formula for starting budgets and films in a certain way that guarantees success. It proves that the audiences are who we make our films for, and when they lap up something, it just flies. Yes, I would have liked Bachchhan Paandey to do better than what it is doing, but not once do I blame The Kashmir Files for it. That film is a storm, and we came in the eye of it.