But the actor would not rate himself as such. “I’m not a superstar. I’m not saying this for effect,” says Akshay .

“I’m only here to entertain people. I keep telling my wife, (Twinkle Khanna) that I don’t want to be either No. 1 or No. 2. I just want to be alive and kicking in the film industry .” Akshay describes Singh is Kinng as an entertainer. “It is not a great film.

It’s an entertaining film. That’s the kind of cinema I believe in,” says the actor. “It’s my first home production and I’ve dedicated the film to my late secretary, Vikas Bali, and to my fa ther.” The actor talks about things that keep him occupied and high on energy .

Akshay, you’re living life king size.

Ha ha, you can say that again. But like I keep saying, these days the real king is Amitabh Bachchan, and no one else. Some people don’t like my saying this. But it’s the truth.

Whatever I’m today is because of the love and support of my fans. Beyond that I don’t want to be the king.

Superstardom is a slippery status...

And I don’t want it. By the grace of God, this industry has given me immense love and affection. I’ve got much more than I deserve.

But you’ve worked hard for it.

Yes, it’s not easy When you reach a cer .

tain position, it isn’t easy to hold on to that position. It’s the crab mentality at work. When I’m told Singh is Kinng has got the biggest opening ever, I can only thank my audience, my fans and my community Also, the media have .

been very kind to my film and me.

Singh is Kinng is the kind of cinema I believe in. I come from the grassroots and that’s the majority section I want to pay off my debts to. I don’t think ordinary people want to pay Rs 150 to watch a film that preaches and sermonises. There’s so much stress in real life. I want my films to be stressbusters. Singh is Kinng has a message, but not in a loud way .

All your recent films were hits, except Tashan, which we won’t mention.

Oh, you can mention it. I’m not the least ashamed of Tashan. I loved my role of Bachchan Pandey I want to .

thank Aditya Chopra for giving me that film. Why should I disown a film just because it hasn’t done well? If I’m getting the credit for Singh is Kinng, then I also want to stand by Tashan, which may not have done that well. But it got me a lot of appreciation.

Do you feel a whole lot of pressure trying to sustain the box-office success that has come your way? It is a large responsibility on my head and shoulders. Until the day before the release of Singh is Kinng, I was so tense that I had stopped talking to my wife. I become edgy before every release. But this time, it was worse. So many factors are linked to Singh is Kinng. It’s the first controversial film of my career.

You used to say that you’d never get into production. What made you change your mind? There’s a time and place for everything. I’ve been in this film industry for 18 years. When I got the title Singh is Kinng, I wanted to make the film in partnership with my friend Vipul Shah. I identify very closely with North Indian family values.

There was a time when my parents, sister and I wouldn’t miss a single Hindi film. That habit continues. I don’t miss a single film even today .

How do you find the time now? I don’t know how I do it.

But I have to find the opportunity to watch every film. If I miss one, I make a note of it in my diary and then watch the film later. I had missed Cash and Race [when they released]. But I watched them recently .

Will you produce more films?

If I like a script as much as Singh is Kinng, why not? If I don’t, I won’t. It’s not as if I’ve tasted blood and want more.

Do you think Chandni Chowk To China will be as big a hit as Singh is Kinng? That’s a scary thought. And I don’t want to think about it. That’s my autobiographical film. It’s the story of my life. I always wanted to put my own journey from Delhi to Bangkok into a film.

Do you take the credit for the story of Chandni Chowk To China? Not at all! I have no fascination for taking credit for anything, apart from acting. Full credit for the story of Chandni Chowk To China goes to Sridhar Raghavan. I told him my own story of a waiter from Chandni Chowk, who goes abroad and learns martial arts.

Sridhar added about 80 per cent of his own ideas to my story .

Katrina Kaif said she just follows you into projects...

Thank you very much, Katrina. But please don’t trust me blindly I still .

have a lot to learn about scripts and cinema. I make a lot of mistakes. I hope when I make a mistake in selecting a script, you (Katrina) are not in that film.

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