Akshay Kumar

Host: I write about startups and I write about entrepreneurs, and they have perhaps some of the toughest times when they build their businesses. You've done the same grind, too, as an actor. So, you know, you started your life from ground zero, and today.

I mean, I was reading Architectural Digest, and they said you've got the most beautiful home in Mumbai today. So what's it been like to go from ground zero to right up there where it matters? Akshay Kumar: Yes, it's been a hard journey and it's been, a different kind of experience.

I don't know from where to start from to answer your questions. It's going to take a lot of time to talk about it. My formula has been a very different kind of formula.

I'll tell you something. I. Yes, my hard work is a lot in my film industry. I've been working hard since last 28 years now.

I've finished about, I've finished about 130 films, and I've now become a producer. Since last 10 years I've been producing films like Waqt, Namaste London, Singh Is King, Airlift, Baby, Special 26, and so on, and even Pad Man also. I always, wanted to bring.

You know, the most important thing of my life has been that I wanted a change. Every time anybody tries to put an image on me, I have always jumped to some other image. I never wanted to be in one track because I always think a change is the most important thing in anybody's life.

Because if the person can change himself, he can do many different things. Like, I started doing romantic films, I started doing. I've done a villain's role.

I've done so many kind of different kind of roles. I didn't, I didn't care about it, I just went and then changes. So I just would like to say that changes is the most important thing.

But on top of that, I would, bring one thing. Whether you believe it or not, but this I will share it with you guys, that my success lies a lot on my parents' feet. I'll tell you why.

My. Whenever in the morning, whenever I go to work, I always touch my mother's feet and go ahead. Trust me, it has, it has made so much difference in my career and my life. I have been saved by so many people who are, like, a lot of negative energies I've been saved from, but that is the fact.

Yes, obviously, the hard work is the most important thing, change is another thing, but to have a positive aura around you and that only your parents can bring you. Not even God. It's only your parents who will bring you positive aura around you and care for you. I like to deconstruct.

When I construct myself completely, then I look at myself. I want to break it. I want to break this whole image.

I want to start another construction and build another one. This is, I would say it is in my mindset, this is what I have followed. I never stick to one particular image.

I just want to just keep on innovating myself, undergoing. I know, I mean, I can be comfortable by just doing commercial cinemas like a Rowdy Rathore or an Housefull or these kind of films, but I just want to deconstruct myself. Even when I did 2.0 with Rajinikanth sir, I'm I'm playing a villain's role.

A lot of people ask me, "Why do you need to play a villain's role?" Why not? What is wrong? So I just need to I'll, I love to deconstruct myself.

That is it, ma'am. Host: Sure. So you know, I also see that you're probably the complete man of the industry, you know. You're so busy, you do four movies, as you said, and yet you make sure that you always spend time with your family and you always have time for holidays.

And I see startups who just get so engrossed with their work that they completely forget that they have families back there. They have parents, they have children, they have wife, sister. You know, so how do you make sure that you balance it out?

Akshay Kumar: See, I'll tell you that is why the first thing when I started talking about it, I said the most important thing is take care of your family, take care of your parents. That is the most important thing. The strength lies in your family.

The positiveness lies in your family. I work a lot. I work helluva lot, but it is nothing.

I divide my work, nothing. I always take. Whatever in my life I want to do, I do it with maths.

I calculate it. I'm doing four films a year. I'm doing about four movies a year. One movie takes about 35 to 40 days.

I don't work. A Saturday I work only 7:00 to 2:00, 2:00 in the afternoon I'm off. Saturday, 2:00 onwards, I don't work. Sunday, I don't work.

Monday, I start working. I work eight hours a day. But in that eight hours I am on the set.

I don't move away from the set. I don't go sit in my vanity van. I tell my producer, my director that I am here, you make me work.

Eight hours is good enough Because after eight hours, you know, because I have to be in front of the camera, I have to look good, I take one and a half month of holiday with my family every year, continuous. I just put the globe in front of my wife and ask her, "I worked a lot, you tell me where you want to go." I do that. I.

So basically what I'm trying to say is all you have to do, you have to look at your family, you have to look at your priority. Your family is your first priority. This is what I believe, and I have always done it, and I would suggest you your family is your first priority.

Once the priority is set properly, once they also know, okay, my husband or my father or my, or my brother will, after working, he will come and he'll spend all his time here, perfectly fine. Nothing can go wrong with you guys. Nothing can go. It's a tried and tested thing, which I have done it.

I have even told a lot of people. In my, in my colleagues, I have told them, and I have seen changes coming to them. Host: I love the fact that you said that you have some extreme discipline and that you follow it and it's worked for you.

Bollywood is known to party. It's known. It's about fun. It's about excitement. So how do you make sure that your entire teams, your producers, your directors, co-actors, everybody's in tune with you they're in sync with Akshay Kumar: you?

Because when they are working with me, the agreement is so strong that they have to come early morning, properly time, otherwise the agreement will get, you know. Host: That's a good thing to be in a position where everybody sort Akshay Kumar: No, it is not. Even a small producer can do it.

It is not that, I mean to say, because if you are taking a chance and if you. I always believe, I always tell everybody, "I am an actor who's a producer's actor. I believe what the producer says, I have to do it, and it is important, he is my boss."

But yeah, some of the cases, I myself am the boss of myself. Host: You know, one thing I like about the Bollywood industry, and I think which all industries need to learn, is that money cannot be taboo. You know, money cannot be taboo.

You cannot grow your business or yourself without money, having your businesses, your products making money. So, you know, what I would want you to message out to startups here today is that making money is really important. I think money has become somehow a third or a four-year plan after they start a business.

You know, making money is important. Akshay Kumar: I was working, I did films for 50,000 rupees. But for, I think, a long time, I mean to say for 10 years, I worked not more than about, 10, 12 lakh rupees a movie.

Host: Now you're the 10th highest paid star in the world. Akshay Kumar: So now. But then I worked hard for it, and it is not necessary, I mean to say, you don't have to run behind money first.

You have to run behind your product first. You have to run behind the quality first, and after that, things will change. You will realize it.

And I think that I have done like that, so I cannot tell them anywhere, in any other way.