It’s up to Aarav what he believes in: Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar talks about God, what he teaches his son, and how faith and religion are two different things.

‘I don’t argue with God’
“My equation with God is one of respect. Making Oh My God! changed my perception. For me, if God is everywhere, then why spend lakhs to visit religious places in hope that God will acknowledge your devotion more? Why am I paying to worship him when I can give feed helpless children? Remember what mandir means: ‘mann’ means heart, ‘andar’ means inside, God is inside me; my temple is where my heart is.”

‘I pray in my garden’
“For me, it’s all about faith rather than religion. I visit temples, churches, mosques, gurdwaras, caves and cliffs in search of enlightenment. At these places, I feel pure as I know I’m surrounded by people who have come to pray. But my favourite place is my garden where I look out at God’s gracious sea, with my family sleeping peacefully behind me.”

‘It’s not about what God gives us’
“I’ve never lost faith in God, not even when my father died. That would be my weakness. That’s what I love about India. Even the starving will feed God before feeding themselves in India, no one gives up his or her faith because of circumstances.”

‘Marrying Twinkle was the OMG moment’
“There are OMG moments every day in our lives. The beauty is in acknowledging them. Mine have been passing exams; never having my nose broken when I took up karate; completing seven Khiladi movies (soon it will be eight); marrying the woman of my dreams; and being a father.”

‘I’m not a preacher’
“When it comes to my son Aarav, I believe in letting him learn things on his own. I was born to Punjabi parents, am married to a spiritual wife, I studied at a Catholic school, trained in martial arts in a Buddhist country; some of my best friends are Muslim; my day is organised by a Parsi (manager); I’m fed by a Marathi cook. Now tell me, what exactly should I teach my son? It is up to Aarav what he believes in, as long as he believes in me."