Akshay wants to save damsels

Akshay Kumar has a confession to make. The actor, who made his mark in films doing death-defying stunts, is afraid of heights. “Even now, after so many years of doing action sequences in films when I stand atop a building, I get a bit scared,” he admits.

Interestingly, he makes this statement sitting in the balcony of the fifth floor suite of the exotic Pugnochiuso resort in Vieste, Italy, that offers fabulous views of the magnificent Mediterranean waters.

Akki, along with Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Ritesh Deshmukh and Farah Khan, has just landed here for a schedule of Sajid Nadiadwala’s Housefull.

But even as his co-stars amble in the stunning surroundings (their generous producer has booked half the resort for the shoot), Akshay would like nothing better than to rest.

Neither the location nor the ambience seem to excite him. Reason - he is sleep deprived (“I’ve had only three hours of sleep in the last two days”)

And the flight from London to Bari and the drive along winding roads to the resort from Bari airport has practically worn him out. Yet, his face lights up and the fatigue vanishes in a jiffy, when he talks about his next stint as host of Fear Factor, Khatron Ke Khiladi.

The second season begins next week and Khiladi Kumar is set to show his meaner, stricter side this time. “I love the concept, this whole idea of putting people into danger ... ,” he chuckles.

And danger ranks high on the list of stunts this season. The beauties and their companions will be seen battling real crocodiles, eating snakes, jumping off planes to name just a few stunts. “My favourite is the one where they were made to jump from one wing of a plane to another. There are far more demanding stunts in level 2 as compared to the previous show. All of them have bruises and stitches to boast of. In fact, compared to the men on the show, the girls were better. In many instances they did the rescuing act!” he says.

Evidently Akshay is enjoying his role as mentor-host to the hilt. “Why not? It deals with my favourite topic - action. It’s like a paid holiday. Besides, it is not about mindless stunts, but about motivation and conquering your fears,” he says giving gyaan on how even a common person who has never had training can do seemingly impossible stunts if they are motivated. More than anything else, the actor admits to loving this phase of life, the recent spate of flops notwithstanding. So despite super-hectic shooting schedules, hosting shows, the martial art cause he is championing and promotional activities, Akshay has no complaints.

“The reason I am able to pack in so much is because I am passionate about what I do. Earlier, when I started out, I did films just for money. But now I am happy with the financial aspect of my life. So I do things that I truly enjoy.” (Er ... that’s doubtful given the choice of his recent films, but we let that pass.)

He takes this philosopher role a bit further when he talks about films. “Life is full of surprises. I tried to do something different with Tasveer, Chandni Chowk ... this year but they didn’t work. But the show goes on,” he says. “In Fear Factor too, I tried to motivate the girls emotionally.

Though I was strict, I would give them the courage to get over their inhibitions and give the stunt their best shot. Initially they were all hesitant. But when they finally pulled it off, their pride was visible.”And what about his price tag? Has he got Rs 2.5 crore as rumoured? That clams up the khiladi. “That’s confidential,” he says. “Between the channel and me”.

Incidentally, Akshay has chipped in with his own stunts this season. And while jumping off planes, swimming with the sharks and racing cars at breakneck speed might come easy to him, no prizes for guessing what his eternal favourite is: “My dream stunt is to save a damsel in distress, that’s real fun,” he laughs. Fear Factor is not about mindless stunts, but about motivation and conquering your fears —Akshay Kumar.