Akshay Kumars SUCCESS formula!

Akshay Kumar is gearing up for the release of Twinkle Khanna’s production venture “PadMan”, also starring Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte. While this film also tackles a social issue, here is why Akshay is indeed a trendsetter in Bollywood.

In a recent interview, Akshay Kumar said  that since he has financially secured his family and his bank account more than the initial target that he set for himself, he is more keen on doing films with substance, which satisfies him as an actor. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look back at his work in the past two years. ‘Airlift’, ‘Rustom’, ‘Jolly LLB 2’, and ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ are all films the have a message attached to it.

Yes, he is the same Khiladi Kumar who was once the champion of the Houseful franchise and even did films like Desi Boyz, Tees Maar Khan and Action Replayy. For the Akshay Kumar of today, playing a common man and picking stories from real life for the big screen has surely become his success mantra. His upcoming film PadMan will only strengthen his changing preferences.
The 50-year-old actor is the same name who had over the years established himself as a master of comedy, a champion of action and a romantic hero as well. But just like his wife Twinkle Khanna, even his fans wanted to see him mature as an artiste. And well, he seems to have done just that. He went on to make smart moves in terms of scripts’ selection, rarely missing the bull’s eye.

Indian cinema as a whole is undergoing a change. While big budget films with superstars are bombing (Tubelight andJab Harry Met Sejal), small scale movies are emerging as sleeper hits (Bareilly Ki Barfi, Hindi Medium and Death In The Gunj). Time is ripe for filmmakers to experiment, and actors of today can give in their best shot at performance oriented films as well. Akshay is making the most of the latest trend. He shed his macho image, wore slippers/pyjamas and got into the skin of a man we can find at any nook or corner of our street. This man has simple dreams and common problems. He speaks our language and returns with a broken bone if attacked by goons on the road. That’s how Akshay has revamped his image, which was once about being a one-man-army onscreen.

As they say, the simplest of things connect better. Akshay kept churning out at least 2-3 medium budget films per year, which addressed social issues. These went on and struck gold at the box office. All his recent films have entered the 100-crore club too – Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (Rs 216.58 cr), Jolly LLB 2 (Rs 197.33 cr), Rowdy Rathore (Rs 133. 35 cr), Rustom (Rs 128 crore), Airlift (Rs 127. 80 cr), Holiday (Rs 112.5 cr), Housefull 3 (Rs 109. 13 cr) and Housefull 2 (Rs 106 cr). PadMan might become his ninth film to get into the coveted club, and we won’t be surprised!

To say that Akshay spots the upcoming trend and becomes a trendsetter won’t be wrong. He turned to comedy when it was still the forte of comedians and not something that the lead actors did. His association with Priyadarshan and the resultant hits are proof. Soon his contemporaries followed suit and turned to comedy too. But, by then Akshay had shed it all, even action, and became a common man. This, again, when the other Khans and Kapoors were still doing larger than life roles. Akshay signed 2.0, his Tamil debut where he reportedly plays an eccentric scientist, and his look is quite experimental too. Many might be touting 2.0 as a bigger film than Baahubali, given its humongous canvas, but it looks like Akshay figured it all out even before the Prabhas film released, and did not mind playing the main antagonist in it. A trendsetter again, indeed!

Akshay’s recent films are content driven with middle class characters which easily connect with small town audience. Akshay is the same actor who was once accused of allegedly chopping off the screen time of his co-actors. Today, he prefers films with a strong supporting cast with socially relevant plot. Even his home banner Hari Om Entertainment is investing in unique storylines like OMG, Airlift and Naam Shabana.

His upcoming movie PadMan is a biographical drama on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist from Tamil Nadu who revolutionised the concept of menstrual hygiene in rural India by creating a low-cost sanitary napkins manufacturing machine.

Akshay isn’t a part of the race. In fact, he has crossed the finishing line way back. His upcoming films Gold, Mogul and Kesri look ambitious too and we won’t be surprised if 2018 also turns out as yet another Akshay Kumar year, just like 2017, and 2016, and 2015!