Akshay Oberoi impressed fans with his performance in the Hrithik Roshan-led ‘Fighter’, which premiered on OTT on Thursday (March 21) after a successful theatrical run. The aerial action drama didn’t live up to expectations at the box office in its first week but eventually picked up to emerge as a hit.
In an exclusive interview with News X, Akshay opened up about the mixed response to Fighter and said that it is all a matter of ‘perception’. He also spoke about his admiration for ‘Duggu’ and dealing with criticism.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
What made you take up ‘Fighter’?
Anybody would have given the nod to ‘Fighter‘. There were so many reasons in its favour. The star cast is great and then of course it was a great part.
How did you get into the skin of your character?
The preparation involved getting the right body language and understanding the film’s lingo. Fighter had an air force setting and people from this field speak in a certain way. Then, I also had to understand terminologies such as ‘Squadron Leader’ and ‘Wing Commander’. Our training really came in handy.
How was the experience of working with Hrithik Roshan?
It was an outstanding experience. He is a legend and one of the few last megastars the country has produced. I had a poster of him on my wall growing up. I learnt a lot first by watching him and then by working with him.
What was your biggest takeaway from working with him?
Working with Hrithik taught me that no matter how popular you are the hard work doesn’t end. Hrithik works hard on his fitness and is in the gym every morning. He also works on his dance and dialogues to get better.
Fighter received a mixed response at the box office initially. How did you react to it?
That’s not my game. It’s all about perspective. The numbers that I saw were enormous. It did Rs 50 crore in three days.
I can see through the noise. Some may argue that ‘Fighter’ could have done better but it did just fine.
Is shooting for a film easier than working on a web series?
The differences arise when moving from one script to another and a director to another. It does not depend on the medium. Web series take longer to shoot but then (in films) Fridays are a make or break affair.
Lastly, how do you deal with criticism?
The whole aim is to not take it personally. Ideally, we should grow and become better.
