Akshay Kumar: I'd be a stuntman if I wasn't an actor

Akshay Kumar is back to what he does best on television, and fans can watch the latest edition of Khatron Ke Khiladi, tonight at 9 pm on Colors.

Akshay did a live, dare-devil stunt at Film City in Mumbai before the launch of the show, and promises loads of torture for participants and a lot of excitement for viewers.

Excerpts from the interview with Rajul Hegde.

Why didn't we see you in season 3 of Fear Factor?

They didn't need me then because the channel had designed the show in a different way. I, too, wanted to do something different so I took up Master Chef. Cooking is something I am passionate about. I identify with that show as I do with stunt shows.

I did Fear Factor and Master Chef not because I am a film star and wanted to do something on television, but because I have knowledge about these things. When the media asks me about my role in these shows, I am able to share more with them because I love doing them. They are stress-busters for me. I always say, if I weren't a film star, I would have been a stuntman.

You did a stunt before the launch of the show. Do you still feel scared when you do these stunts?

Yes, I do, but the fear is what I call 'good fear'. The fear of not being able to pull off the stunt carefully, the fear of losing my loved ones if I don't take care of myself etc. Good fear is when you drive at a normal speed because you care for yourself, your family and others; you don't want to be hasty and careless.

When I was doing this stunt, the only fear I had was will I be able to do it safely, smoothly? The adrenaline rush is something I can't express enough. I would say a good stuntman is one who performs a stunt and comes out of it without a scratch or a bruise. You know, when my car flew in the air and I must have been at a height of 22 feet, I could literally see the ground below me and the thrill of landing on it was too good.

Apparently you did this stunt after five years?

Yes. The last stunt I did was maybe for a film and that was five years ago. I had stopped doing stunts because my son was small but now he is nine and I want to do them again. The stunt I did today is very special because it was the most difficult one I have ever done so there is a feeling of satisfaction.

As I was about to do the stunt, I was reminded of the moments where I was the driving force for my contestants during the shoot of the reality show. They would admire me and say 'your words come as a source of inspiration and take away all the fear from our hearts'.

When have you really felt tortured?

When my producers take me to deserts, make me wear leather jackets and run in the scorching sun. There is a horse, too, but no, I don't get to sit on it I am asked to run with it.

I also feel tortured when they take me to Switzerland, ask me to take off my shirt and sing a song for my heroine. Till today, I haven't figured out why our filmmakers love to torture us like this! (Smiles).

Did you have a good time torturing the participants?

Yes, I did. This season is deadlier than the earlier ones. The stunts are very scary and these participants have really gone through the grind this season. It's the demand of the show.

But I have given them lots of love and encouragement too. If it wasn't for that, they would not have pushed themselves. Like these two girls -- one of them is Mauli Dave -- were scared to go inside the water but they did go underwater and conquered their fear.

You are known to be a good motivator for the participants. Who motivates you?

The four women in my life -- my wife, my mother, my mother-in-law and my sister. They are the anchors in my life. Then there is my father who is in heaven right now, looking after me, smiling over every step I take in my life.

How were the contestants of this season in terms of daring?

The point here is not to get great contestants who are completely trained. The challenge is to get even weak contestants to perform the stunts, reach that level, and achieve something. I can't single out anyone as they were all good in some way or other. If one is good in water there were others good in some other aspect. I had to boost and push their limits and they did it beautifully.

How much of the fear is internal?

The whole idea of the show is to train the participants mentally. Fear is developed in our mind. That is also one element that I have touched upon in the show.

What different can we expect this season?

Well, I designed about 90 per cent of the stunts myself and about 75 per cent of them didn't require the participants to lean on cable support. They had to support themselves this season for most tasks. Also, I haven't made them go through any task with creepy crawlies but big, wild animals like a lion, cheetah, crocodile and even an ostrich.

Lastly, what did you think of Priyanka Chopra as a host in the last season?

She was good at her job. The channel had something in mind and that's why they chose her and they achieved what they had set out to do. So that's great.