He is quite like the Bollywood hero in many ways — tall, angular features, washboard abs, maybe strong biceps too, that can lift damsels in distress, But one thing that distinguishes Akshay Kumar, or formerly Rajeev Bhatia from Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, is his irreverent sense of humour. He is a verified prankster. So if you ask his co-star and debutant, Veer Pahariya, a question, “How was it working with Akshay?” Kumar answers it for him, “Who will criticize his co-star, he is bound to say only good things.”

This is only one such appetizer of the famous brand of the star who at 57, seems to be ageing quite brilliantly—you can attribute this to heavy pushups, strict exercise and diet regimen.

You can’t see signs of stress, fatigue or hurry when he speaks to you, even though he has had a full day of promotions, and interviews lined up. His new film, Sky Force, is based on the 1965 retaliatory attack on Sargodha air base, Pakistan portraying the bravery of the Indian Air Force, specially, Squadron Leader Ajjamada B. Devayya, (played by Veer) who was declared missing in action. Akshay plays Group Captain O.P. Taneja, who leads the mission, though he has done Airlift and Kesari earlier, playing homage to invisible officers known for their gallantry.

Men in uniform, have been a dream for most women, but Akshay dresses in rather informal streetwear—his graffiti Yeezy’s shoes (we are guessing) must be worth at least Rs 200,000, his cargo pants are fitted but look comfortable, while his shirt, unlike the armed forces’ spiffy men, is half tucked in.

“The pledge that the IAF takes is not to leave one of their own behind, but it is effective only when you see it on the big screen-the action and watch the missile launches,” he smiles, as he tells the Imperial hotel staff “let there be light” and often shields himself from the harsh camera flashes. He is interested in knowing the faces firing the questions, urges his director and producer to often pitch in, so somewhere he is letting everyone be a part of the show, without overshadowing them with his stardom.

Sky Force was screened for 1,000 NCC cadets; their reactions were priceless—it ranged from getting emotional to immense pride. The more than two-hour long film, also has the concept of honour among enemies. Instinct is stronger than fact, and sometimes trusting your heart is all that counts.

Talking of fortitude, he mentioned how Saif Ali Khan, who was recently attacked by an intruder that left him severely injured, is a star who displayed enormous courage while protecting his family. “Saif and I did a film together titled ‘Main Khiladi tu Anadi’ in 1994. If it were to be remade today, it would be named differently—Do Khiladi,” he affirms.

Akshay is also making his Telugu debut this year, with Kannappa, where he plays Lord Shiva, set to premiere on April 25. This is in continuation from where he has played the role of Lord Shiva’s messenger in the 2023 film OMG 2, as the CBFC didn’t allow him to portray God. Akshay’s father was an army officer, Hari Om Bhatia. After he left the forces, he became an accountant with UNICEF.

They shared a common interest in wrestling. “I wanted to join the navy, but my love for martial arts took over. It led to modelling, then acting. If I were not in films, I would be an officer in uniform, or a struggling actor,” he reveals.

The interesting aspect of the film will be seeing an action hero, who is known for his gravity-defying stunts give full access to his vulnerable side. “I learnt from Air Force officers… how they walk, their postures, but of course under the guidance of my director,” he says, adding that the armed forces is a way of life, and a beautiful one.

Working with the grandson of Sushil Kumar Shinde, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Veer, Akshay believes his performance was subtle. He never went overboard. In fact, he was more like the guy-next-door. He wasn’t in it to show he is the “hero”. “For me, personally, the toughest part was wearing a helmet, a rather heavy one for almost eight hours while shooting. “It was authentic, rather bulky, like the ones they wore in the 60s, resulting in excessive sweat and debilitating neck pain,” he says.

But action is his calling—jumping impenetrable walls, dodging gunfire, protecting the injured et al. It was undoubtedly the story, and screenplay that serenaded Akshay to say “yes” to this film, plus he has never played an Indian Air Force officer before. He had seen Border, the epic war film written by J. P. Dutta, capturing the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, based on the events of Battle of Longewala.

He aspired to do something similar, as he was moved by how soldiers are there for each other. “I hung from on a jhoomar in Sky Force, without a harness. So many scenes were thrilling to shoot for an action oriented actor like me,” he laughed, confirming “Maaye” is his favourite song in the film.

Sky Force is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik. It is directed by debutants Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur, and set for release on January 24, ahead of Republic Day.

On another note, there is a special bond he shares with his wife Twinkle Khanna, 51, an avid reader, who also runs a book club. But what isn’t common between the pair is her brutal honesty.

Akshay is more controlled and measured in his responses. “I don’t take her to film screenings as she doesn’t hold back criticism. We watch my films at home,” he explains. It is a classic case of opposites attract—she a bookworm, while he likes to get as far away as possible from them! And their marriage has survived every onslaught for the last 24 years.

With Instagram ruling everyone’s mind and hearts now, everything quickly travels to social media forums, even forced controversies. Akshay is quite astute when asked why he “walked out” of the “Bigg Boss” finale sets. He clarified: “Salman Khan was late, almost 35-40 minutes. I had to leave, but Veer was there, and we later spoke to avoid any misunderstanding.” – Asmita is the Lifestyle Editor of NRI Focus. She is an award winning journalist who has been writing on fashion for the last 32 years