No fun in how action films are made today: Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar is all for action films that are raw and real, unlike the prevalent picture-perfect versions that are being done with the help of VFX and AI in the film industry.

One of the original action stars in Hindi cinema and skilled in martial art forms such as Karate, Muay Thai, Taekwondo and Kudo, Kumar isn’t happy with the shift towards technology when it comes to shooting action sequences.

“There is a huge difference in the way action films are being made today. Earlier, the action would be real. Now, everything is done in VFX. It’s not fun as it feels fake. I want to make a film that is real. For instance, if I’m jumping, then I’m jumping for real and not using VFX for it or if I’m kicking, then I’m kicking for real, not like 15 people are helping me kick people. I want to make an action film without the use of VFX,” Kumar told PTI.

The actor started his journey in Hindi cinema as an action star delivering hits through the ‘Khiladi’ franchise, ‘Mohra’, ‘Suhaag’, ‘Elaan’ and ‘Jaanwar’ before making a shift towards drama, comedy and movies with socially relevant themes.

In recent years, Kumar has featured in action entertainers like ‘Holiday’, ‘Gabbar is Back’, and ‘Sooryavanshi’.

Kumar, 58, isn’t a fan of the film industry’s growing reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as he believes it’s easy to spot a difference between the actual action sequences versus those generated with the help of a computer.

“I’m saying this in the era of AI and people may think what they wish to, but I want to do an action film that is a real action film. The audience can feel how much effort is being put in, unlike the efforts taken with the help of AI or a computer,” he said, giving the analogy of a painting and its print version.

He shared, “There’s a difference between real, hand-made and printed (digital) painting. The printed painting may look perfect and the real painting may have some flaws. Now, it depends on you what you want to see. I want to make a real painting.”

Beyond action, Kumar said he is delighted to be joining successful cinematic universes like ‘Stree’ and ‘Golmaal’. He played a small and yet significant role in ‘Stree 2’ (2024). The actor recently joined the cast of the fifth movie in the comedy franchise, ‘Golmaal’, helmed by Rohit Shetty. He joins the primary cast, including Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kemmu and Shreyas Talpade.