Vipul Shah says Akshay Kumar has never been seen as a great actor: ‘He himself doesn’t know what he is capable of’

For nearly four decades, Akshay Kumar has been a prominent figure in the film industry, showcasing his talent across a wide range of genres from action and comedy to romance and drama. Known for effortlessly executing daring stunts as well as delivering witty comic lines, Akshay’s versatility is undeniable. However, despite this impressive range and extensive body of work, many feel he hasn't received the full recognition he deserves as an actor. Filmmaker and producer Vipul Shah, who has collaborated with Akshay on four of his seven films, recently expressed similar sentiments in a recent interview, highlighting how the industry has often underestimated the acting abilities of the ‘Kesari 2’ star.


Akshay’s own unawareness of his potential


Speaking to Galatta Plus, Vipul said that in his first two films working with Akshay, he realized that Akshay is an actor who himself doesn’t know what he is capable of. He was just being labelled as an action hero, and during that era, he was changing his image by doing comedy films, but people were not taking him seriously. Maybe never was he considered a great actor or even a good actor by any reviewers, so he also kind of had this ‘I don’t care’ space. But Vipul thought that he had a lot more to offer.



Seamless transition between diverse roles


Vipul explained why he believed Akshay possessed greater depth than what was visible to many. “When you’re working with someone, you get to see how they’re approaching a scene, how easily they can switch. Like, yesterday we were doing a comic scene, and today we’re doing a serious, thriller moment, and he could just jump into it. There was no baggage of what he had done last, and it never broke the character,” he said.


Embracing his Punjabi roots in ‘Namaste London’


He added that in both the films he worked with Akshay, the actor played two completely different characters and was very comfortable doing many things as an actor that nobody really gave him credit for. He then realized that throughout Akshay’s entire career, no one had portrayed him as a Punjabi munda. Despite being a total Punjabi guy at heart and soul, no one had presented him that way. Namaste London was intended to give him the space to be himself—the Punjabi munda, the carefree, fun-loving guy. He slipped into the film smoothly, as that role came most naturally to him.


Akshay’s ability to reinvent and prove critics wrong


During the same discussion, Vipul highlighted Kumar’s remarkable ability to continually reinvent his career, overcoming setbacks and periods of poor success. With the recent hit ‘Kesari 2’, Akshay proved his critics wrong once again, reaffirming his place in the industry.