‘It’s a different take on fighting corruption’

After Rowdy Rathore, Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali have teamed up again for Gabbar Is Back which is to hit the screens on May 1. Akshay Kumar, who has always entertained his fans with impeccable stunts and actions, is yet again ready to impress the mass. At a press conference in New Delhi where Akshay looked stylish and handsome, it was Shruti  Haasan who turned heads around along with the film director Krish, from the Telugu film industry. He made his directorial debut in 2008 with Gamyam and followed it up with Vedam in 2010. Both films garnered widespread critical acclaim, fetching him the Nandi Award and Filmfare Award for Best Director. Akshay did not miss a single point talking about the film or its songs or his co-actors. The actor also heaped praises on AR Murugadoss, who had penned down the film 10 years back.

Giving a brief comparison between the ‘Gabbar’ that we saw in Sholay with the new age Gabbar that Akshay is playing, the actor said, “The Gabbar who you saw in Sholay believed in violence, so does this one, but that has nothing to do with any sort of similarities between the films. That Gabbar killed the good people, and this one takes on the bad and corrupt people. Apart from this, the film has nothing to do with Sholay.”

Also talking about the real stunts performed by him while shooting for this film, he said, “This film has real stunts, it’s a real film. All incidents are real, action is real, and no cables have been used for the same.” Having worked in Murugadoss’ movie Holiday earlier, Akshay was more than happy to do this one too. Akshay said, “Murugadoss wrote Holiday and Ghajini. When I heard the script of Gabbar Is Back, I gave a nod at that instant itself. He wrote this film 10 years back. These are all real incidents in this film and I can relate to them and so will the audience. It is a different take on how to face corruption.”

Pretty and chirpy Shruti Haasan’s character in this film is also different role. She said, “My name is Shruti in the film and I play the role of a junior lawyer who happens to meet Gabbar. I play a young, energetic girl and Shruti’s relation with Gabbar is not a cliche.” 

The actor was accompanied by Krish, the director of the film who feels lucky to have been introduced in Bollywood by Akshay Kumar. Gabbar Is Back being his debut Bollywood direction, he said, “Akshay Kumar has introduced many directors and I’m glad I’m one of them.” The movie’s title was suggested by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who also co-produced it. 

 Known for carving his identity with Telugu hit films, Krish said remakes are not easy. As much as southern director Krish is excited about Gabbar is Back, the Hindi remake of Tamil blockbuster Ramana, he admits it will be as challenging as any other film. “People feel remakes are easy to make, but I beg to differ. Since they come with pre-arranged expectations, it’s very important to break that notion. Remakes are also highly prone to comparison with the original,” he said. 

Akshay who had to put on 15 – 16 kgs of weight and sports a beard for the film said that his wife Twinkle Khanna liked his look. 

The actor said in order to look equivalent to the name ‘Gabbar’, he had to put on some weight and didn’t hesitate to do so. The actor, who also had to grow his hair for the same said, “It took three months to grow my hair.”