I envy these people who wear a uniform : Akshay Kumar

What kind of preparations did you do for your character in the film?

I didn’t specially sit down and took books to learn about the navy rules and regulations. I didn’t interact with any naval men, only there was one naval officer who was guiding me throughout about how the salute is, how the badges are to be worn, how the uniforms should be, and how the walk should be.

You play Commander Rustom Pavri, who is a Parsi. Any specific reference point to get your character right?

I have a Parsi secretary-manager, she is the reference point, and my best friends in my school time. There was a guy whose name was Rustom; we used to call him Dodo. I know Parsis very well. I can speak a little bit of the language. The only thing I did was that I copied my manager’s father’s moustache.

What did you like most about your character in the film?

When I’m getting ready, I wear my navy trousers and a banyan inside, till that time I am okay, normal. When the uniforms used to come, the badges, the cap, my walk completely changed. I started gliding. There is something about uniforms that it gives you a certain kind of responsibility. It just tells you, ‘you are the man, you take the charge, you do everything. When you see the movie, you will see that my walk has changed while I’m entering the courtroom or anything. So I envy these people who wear a uniform. That’s why I also did the contest that whenever you see a guy in a uniform, have a selfie.

All your costars claim you to be a morning person. How do you manage to get up so early in the morning, despite these taxing shooting schedules?

If you are staying in Mumbai, you know how bad the traffic is here during peak hours. So, if you wake up at 5 a.m. and start your day by 6, you get saved from the traffic and similarly, you finish off the work by 2-3 p.m. in the evening and at that time too, the traffic is much lesser. Plus, when you get home early, you get some time for yourself, like your hobbies and family.

Is this the reason that you are able to do 3-4 films a year, unlike Salman Khan or Aamir Khan, who do only one film a year?

Maybe! But, more importantly, I treat my shooting schedule like going to office. And because of this routine, I am able to complete the shoot in 20-30 days, which other people do in 3-4 months, and this is how I manage to do multiple films a year.

Your film is clashing with the Hrithik Roshan starrer Mohenjo Daro on 12th August. Don’t you think that this clash may hamper box office prospects of both the films?

It’s (August 12) is a big date. It’s a huge date. It has a lot of holidays (August 15 – Independence Day and August 18 – Raksha Bandhan, plus the weekend). And history has shown that two films which had released on such days, have both made money. It has happened a lot of times. We wish both the films do well.

Salman Khan said that you are the real Sultan of Bollywood as you do three-four successful films in a year while he does only one film. How do you feel?

I think it is his greatness that he said something like this. How large-hearted guy he is. I would not say this, see I did MMA in Brothers but it did not work and Sultan worked, so he is the real Sultan.