Title: Succeeding the Akshay Kumar Way
Author: Virender Kapoor
Publisher: Rupa
Pages: 116
Cost: Rs 195
The book begins by offering an insight into how a boy (Akshay Kumar) born in a middle-class Punjabi family in Amritsar whose father was a soldier in the Indian Army, and who had very little to celebrate as such, materialistically speaking went on to become one of the richest actors in the Indian film industry.
In a revelation about his personality, when in ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ a participant was eliminated from the show due to non-performance, Akshay Kumar asked him, “What would you have done if you had won the prize money of Rs 25 lakh?” The participant replied that he would have used the money for his father’s treatment as he was suffering from cancer. Akshay generously gave him a cheque of the same amount from his own account.
In another instance, Akshay who strongly feels that stuntmen and stuntwomen deserve more validation, recognition and monetary benefits started an insurance scheme for them. The scheme is going to cover 380 of them and in case of injuries, while filming, a person will be covered for Rs 6 lakh in about 4000 hospitals and in case of death Rs 10 lakh will be given to the nominee. The Hindi film industry is nearly 100 years old now yet it took one Akshay Kumar to do this. His generosity is not restricted to his co-workers but also extended to other film-makers as evidenced from the fact that he delayed the release of his film PadMan so that it did not clash with the release date of ‘Padmaavat’.
To remain sane and fit in the film industry given the chaotic schedules, odd hours, frequent travels and multiple movie, is a challenge. At the same time staying fit, maintaining your body and keeping your face looking fresh is an occupational requirement for every actor. So any actor who manages to strict to his routine in such an unstructured profession, which is both emotionally as well as physically demanding, is worth admiring. Akshay keeps fit by rock climbing, hiking, skipping or swinging. He doesn’t pick up weights, but does stretching exercises, yoga and swimming as part of his training programme. He also avoids alcohol, smoking, nicotine and caffeine in any form — coffee or tea.
Despite a gruelling schedule he manages a week-long vacation once in three months with his family and a long six-week holiday once a year, something most people fail to do. A relevant quote (on the relevance of family in a person’s life) by George Moore here would be: “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”
Actor Akshay Kumar stands first among equals as far as his popularity and saleability are concerned. He is a family man, a fitness freak, daredevil and a man who lives by his own definition of life. He doesn’t believe in ‘work hard and party harder’ philosophy. He has a conservative lifestyle, neither ostentatiously extravagant nor highly extravagant… and yet stylish and a cut above the rest.
He is very careful about his diet and is regular with his exercise. He works hard to complete his movies on time and many-a-times aims to finish before the time-frame which the producer has in mind, simply because he believes that completing a movie on time will reduce the production cost and help the producer earn his return on investment. It is smart thinking, but most actors don’t think this way. He also does charity in different ways, like supporting the Indian Army. What more does one look for in a man? Akshay Kumar is truly a model of success, and an inspiration for youngsters to learn from through this book. So apart from revealing the ingredients that go into the creation of a successful, well-balanced life by closely analysing the actor’s life, the book is also peppered with nuggets of wisdom for everyday life. It subtly arrives at the conjecture that success is not measured in purely money terms.