Akshay Kumar is happy that actors are promoting each other’s films

Actor Akshay Kumar is happy with the way the film industry has come forward and is promoting each other’s films. Recently, Salman Khan and Ranveer Singh shared videos promoting Akshay’s upcoming release on social networking sites. “It’s not a new way to promote the film. It’s their greatness that they have uploaded the videos. It also shows the unity in our film industry,” says Khiladi Kumar, who was in town on Thursday with co-stars Illeana D’Cruz and Esha Gupta.

Watch Akshay Kumar play a naval officer in Rustom:

After Salman Khan, who posted a video promoting Akshay’s latest on Twitter, Ranveer Singh, too, shared a video dressed as a naval officer dancing to the beats of Kumar Sanu’s ‘Zeher hai ke pyar hai tera chumma’ from Akshay’s film Sabse Bada Khiladi (1995). “He has made a very nice video. Ranveer took a lot of effort to make it,” says Akshay appreciating Ranveer’s effort.

While most of the Bollywood actors are pressed for time, Akshay says he has enough time in hand even after doing four films a year. He says in fact there’s a dearth of ‘heroes and heroines’ in the film industry. The Boss actor also mentions that there’s a lot of work in the industry for actors. “We make nearly 180 films in Bollywood. There aren’t enough heroes and heroines. There’s a lot of work around. There’s a lot of space for other actors and hence I feel there’s no competition,” says the Rowdy Rathore actor.

Read: Ranveer Singh and his ‘chumma’ for Akshay Kumar

Akshay will be seen playing a naval officer, Rustom Pavri, in his next, which is based on the famous KM Nanavati case. His first release of the year Airlift was again based on a real incident. The actor, however, clarifies that it’s not a conscious decision to do films based on real-life characters.

Read: Rustom poster | Akshay Kumar playing ‘honourable murderer’ Nanavati?

Akshay has been able to maintain a fine balance between doing hardcore commercial and sensible films. He started the year with Airlift, followed it up with Housefull 3 and now a serious drama. In fact, last year, too, he had a mix bag of films — Baby, Gabbar Is Back, Brothers and Singh is Bliing. The actor, however, clearly states that he has never planned anything in life. “Films just happen. I don’t plan. I do whatever I feel like,” he says and flashes his trademark smile.

Interestingly, in the past, Sunil Dutt and Leela Naidu-starrer Yeh Rastey Hain Pyaar Ke (1963) was based on the KM Nanavati incident. Later in 1973, Gulzar directed Vinod Khanna in Achanak, which was also inspired by the same incident. However, Akshay says that the earlier films bear no similarities with his latest film. “We have a different screenplay and set up. There’s no connection with the earlier films. The film is based on four-five true incidents and we have weaved it into one film,” says Khiladi 786.