Akshay flies to Mumbai to celebrate his birthday

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who turned 42 Wednesday, completed his shooting in Italy before schedule to be with his family here on his birthday."Akshay wanted to ring in his birthday with his family. He doesn`t want to miss this at any cost," said a source close to the actor who was shooting in Italy for Sajid Khan`s ‘House Full’.

"Akshay was missing them very much while shooting in Italy. Sajid understood Akshay`s feelings and saw to it that the shooting gets wrapped up in advance so that Akshay can fly down to Mumbai and celebrate his birthday with his family," the source added.

Meanwhile, his wife Twinkle has planned a quiet party for family and close friends.

While the past two years have been extremely lucky for Akshay, in 2009 he had to face setbacks in ‘Chandni Chowk To China’ and ‘8X10 Tasveer’ -- both the films were rejected by audiences. But he managed to strike back with ‘Kambakkht Ishq’.

His forthcoming films include Anthony D`Souza`s ‘Blue’, Priyadarshan`s ‘De Dana Dan’ and Vipul Shah`s ‘Action Replay’.

Secret behind Akshay’s success- touching parents’ feet every morning

Bollywood megastar Akshay Kumar owes his success to touching the feet of his parents every morning.He told a channel: "I would say my success lies at the feet of my parents because that`s been my biggest strength and that`s what we Hindus believe.”

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has lauded Kumar for faithfully following Hindu tradition of showing high regard to the parents and setting an example for other youth.

Parents were held in highest esteem in Hinduism and the world would be a better place if youth followed this example and sought parents’ blessings, Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, added in a statement in Nevada (USA) today.

Kumar is quoted as giving a piece of advice: “Every morning before you go to work just touch your parents` feet and go ahead in life.” He has reportedly told this mantra to a lot of people and claims that they have also been successful.

Women are stronger than men: Akhsay Kumar

Akshay Kumar maintains that women are stronger than men when it comes to mental strength and says he chose Twinkle as his life partner because she has the courage to "kick" people in the "butt".

"I didn`t fall in love with my wife because she could dance around a tree. I fell for her strength as an independent woman. She kicked butt at school and she could do it now if she wanted. She is fearless to the outside world and I think it`s a great perception for women," Akshay told reporters from Italy where he is currently shooting for Sajid Khan`s `Housefull`.

Akshay is making a comeback on the small screen as the host of level two of the serial "Khatron Ke Khiladi" and reveals there were a number of instances during its shooting when he was simply dismayed with the way male participants performed stunts.

"In fact, I had to shout at the guys for some of their pathetic attempts. You should watch how many times men get rescued by their female partners on this show. On the other hand, women were much controlled in the situations they found themselves in.

"While men tend to believe that brute strength can get them everywhere, the fact is it was women who got them there in the end," said the actor.

He feels that women`s mental strength also comes to play in physical activity - something which reflected in their performances when compared to men.

"I have said this quite a few times now that I believe women to be way stronger than men. It`s high time that our society gave them credit for this," said Akshay when asked if one of the major reasons for doing "Khatron Ke Khiladi" was that he found it empowering for women to go ahead and face the challenges of life.

"If men were so brave, how come god made sure that it`s only women that give birth? We may be able to lift more bricks, but that`s about it. Level two is a perfect example of what I am getting at," he added.

Akshay has been in the industry for close to a couple of decades now. Does he feel that women have evolved over a period of time when it comes to stunts?

"I genuinely think if we had proper schools for stunt training and facilities where men and women could train, not only would our heroines be as tough as us heroes but our country would be healthier and more experienced. Most Indians don`t know how to swim, though not due to any fault of their own but because they are not given the opportunity to learn," he said.

Regarding the current bunch of actresses, Akshay says, "As for actresses nowadays, they have a much tougher role to play - they are not all sari- wearing beauties any more. They have more demanding roles."

He indicates that audiences should not expect him to hog the limelight as an action hero on the show.

"If you want to see me in action, then watch my movies. That`s because `Khatron Ke Khiladi` is about the `power of our sexes` and not about checking out what is Akshay Kumar up to this time. My stunts are just a bonus and a little treat for my fans," he said.

Action, comedy are boring, Akshay wants some romance now

He has done loads of action films and made audiences laugh in rib-tickling comedies, but Bollywood star Akshay Kumar now says he`s bored and wants some romance...on screen of course!

"I want to do more romance. I`ve actually gotten bored of comedy and action. Yes, I just want to do some romantic films. And that`s what my next thing is going to be," Akshay told reporters in an interview.

While his fans enjoyed actioners like `Khiladi`, `Mohra` and `Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi`, Akshay also drew audiences for laugh riots `Hera Pheri`, `Mujhse Shaadi Karogi`, `Welcome` and `Singh Is Kinng` among others.

"...I`ve done quite a lot of comedy now and I don`t know...sometimes an actor is very sensitive about what he`s doing and where he wants to go ahead and do. I know comedy has worked a lot and it has worked brilliantly for me.

"Earlier, when I used to do action I would never think about comedy and then I started getting into it and I was quite successful. So now I`ve never done a complete romantic film. I did `Dhadkan`, which was eight years back. But now I wanna get into it and do at least two or three romantic films now," said the actor, who entered Bollywood in 1991.

One of the highest earning members of the Hindi film industry, Akshay maintains that there is no sure-shot secret to success, but stressed that hard work and being "a producer`s actor" is essential.

"It`s actually your hard work, your punctuality...Even if you`re not a good actor, to be a producer`s actor is very essential...If you finish your films on time, save a lot of money for the producer. I remember there was a time when I had delivered 14 flops in a row. But I still had movies along with me for a very simple reason, because I was a producer`s actor."

"I had good films still coming... I had finished all films in a three-month span. Even if they went for loss, they still preferred working with me. And after that, even I thought my career was over. But it still carried on," Akshay added.

And luck, he said, is of supreme importance for remaining on top.

"I`ve just been lucky... a lot of times I`ve watched my films and I felt it`s not good. And those films worked. Like I tell you another film of mine was "8x10Tasveer". I love that film... When I saw it, it`s good but it didn`t work at all. So I don`t know exactly what works and what doesn`t work. You just flow. I liked "Chandni Chowk To China". I did it with Warner Brothers, I was very confident and it didn`t work at all."

So why didn`t it work?

"I think it was the storyline. Like `Kambakkht Ishq` was another film where that combination got together (Bollywood and Hollywood); so that worked. But this one didn`t. So it`s not the combination, it`s actually the script - and sometimes the script doesn`t work."

The actor also firmly believes that the blessings of his parents too go a long way in making him the star he is today.

"I would say my success lies at the feet of my parents because that`s been my biggest strength and that`s what we Hindus believe in. Every morning before going to work just touch your parents` feet and go ahead in life. That`s my personal belief and I followed that in my life. And I told a lot of people and they have also been successful. People may believe it or not, but that`s exactly what I believe in," Akshay said.

Akshay Kumar is the only actor with no pending projects!

Akshay Kumar believes in completion of pending projects at the earliest. The actor, known for his professionalism, recently completed a film that was lying in the cans for the last 12 years. Now, the actor can boast of being the only actor in the industry who has no films in the cans.

According to the latest news, the actor completed a schedule of Sajid Khan`s ‘Housefull’, and then called producer-director Shabnam Kapoor to London to complete the long pending ‘Purab Ki Laila Paschim Ka Chaila’, which is now named as ‘Hello India’.

The film also stars Namrata Shirodkar and Suniel Shetty. It seems that the actor has no problems with the dated look of his films, and his only concern is completion of projects. This calls for applause.

Akshay, Lara swim with sharks in Blue

As if first-time director Anthony D'Souza didn't have his hands fullwith Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta and Sanjay Dutt, he decided to up theante by shooting quite a bit of Blue underwater. That, too, surrounded by sharks.

'The scariest part of Blue was the sharks. Getting them toact in my film was not easy,' said D'Souza. 'We had shark handlerspresent on the shoot to make sure that nothing untoward happened. Butit was a risky business. Everyone who was around knew that these wereliving, breathing sharks and that it was their turf.'

However, thousands of razor-sharp teeth were a small price topay to make Bollywood's first underwater movie, which promises action,adventure and plenty of thrills.

And with underwater specialist cinematographer Pete Zuccarini (Pirates of the Caribbean, Deep Blue Sea), action director James Bomalick (The Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift), music director A R Rahman and sound engineer Resul Pookutty in the picture, we won't accept anything but the best.

Aamir, Akshay, Hrithik to vie for AXN action award

Bollywood stars Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan are in the race to bag the best actor award at the AXN Action Awards. While Aamir has been nominated for "Ghajini", Akshay is in contention for "Tashan" and Hrithik for "Jodhaa Akbar". "'Ghajini' is a film that required a lot of aggression that exposes the basic crude emotion of human loss. I'm honoured to be nominated in the best action actor category, as the action in the film is more complex and thought provoking, showcasing anger, vengeance and physical violence," said Aamir in a statement. In the best actor in a negative role category, the competition is between Imran Khan for "Kidnap", Saif Ali Khan for "Race"and Kay Kay Menon for "Drona". "'Race' is a thoroughbred action film, complete with flamboyance and panache. I enjoyed performing the stunts and watching the movie evolve into a suave piece of cinema. I am thrilled to be nominated for my role," he said. The results will depend on public voting which is now open. Fans can cast their votes by logging on to www.axnactionawards.com or by texting to 52525. The winners will be announced on the channel next month.

Aishwarya Making Vipul to Wait

Aishwarya Rai, Akshay Kumar

Releasing date of Vipul Shah’s Action Replay starring Akshay Kumar andAishwarya Rai is delaying due to extended shooting schedule of Raavana. Vipul was planning to release the film in October, but having Aishwarya to shoot extra portions for Raavana has spoiled his plans.

According to sources the film is based on Hollywood hit The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And Aishwarya needed to shoot three more songs for it. By confirming the news director said, “Yes, what you have heard is true. A fortnight from Aishwarya is needed to shoot three songs. I’m sure she’s as eager to complete the film as I am. Unfortunately, Raavana has taken far more of her time than she had expected. Besides, she is also shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish, so I have no option, but to wait.”

Now, Vipul might get Ash’s dates in September, but it should also match with Akshay, who is very busy. “Both Aishwarya and Akshay are very professional. We’ll soon sort out the dates and as Akshay is also the co-producer of Action Replay, he has an added incentive to give me the dates,” added Vipul.

With his changed plans on movie release, Vipul said, “I will only be able to release Action Replay next year. I had initially planned it for October which was later pushed to December first week. But now I don’t want to releaseAction Replay in December even though I am sure it’ll be completed by then.”

Adding further Vipul said, “I can’t release my film just a week after Akshay’sDe Dana Dan, releasing on November 27. Two of Akki’s film can not be released in two successive weeks and my other film London Dreams is also releasing on October 30.”

Kat becomes eye candy for Akki

Katrina Kaif role in most of her flicks was just of an arm candy. Post New York she decided she wouldn’t play arm-candy anymore but bent the rules for good friend Akshay.

She says, My reason for accepting this film is only because Akshay asked me if I would do it.”

“Akshay is a friend and I could never refuse. The two of us have given some of the biggest hits together. When I learnt De Dana Dan is Akshay’s home production (Akshay’s Hari Om Productions is producing the film in partnership with Ratan Jain’s Venus Productions) I said yes without hesitation.”

Talking about playing an arm-candy, Katrina says, “I have played the arm candy in one too many films in the past. Post New York, I have Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti where I’m the only girl with superb male actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Ranbir Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Manoj Bajpai, Nana Patekar and Arjun Rampal. It is a performance oriented film for me and that’s the way I would ideally like most of my future films to be.”

Moving over to De Dana Dan, Katrina says, t has a host of almost 22 super actors. Obviously, there may not be too much of me on screen.”

Katrina is currently filming Prakash Jha’s Rajniti.