Akshay talked a lot about his Bangkok days, where he learnt martial arts, and survived as a chef. He was a big fan of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. He would also talk about making his movie debut.
Being with me, he got a chance to meet stars. He learnt about stardom, how the actors work, how they behave, the way the industry works... He would see how actors would dress for photoshoots, and ask me to take the same kind of pictures.
I took him on the sets of Angaar, where I was supposed to take Jackie Shroff's photographs. Jackie encouraged Akshay by saying that he should be in front of the camera, not behind it. Akshay got very excited with that statement, and was very happy that day.
I agreed to do his photoshoot on the condition that Akshay would shave off his moustache. I thought his personality was hidden behind his moustache. He did not want to shave it off -- he said that for Punjabis, a moustache was the sign of mardaangi (manhood). Finally, he shaved it off, and the next day, we shot his portfolio in Madh Island.
Also Read: Making Akshay look Chinese
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