Akshay Oberoi: ‘Only milestone movies like Fighter can make you pause’

“The only way I can reach the audience is by constantly working and finding new avenues that other people are not doing”, said Fighter actor Akshay Oberoi as he talked to us about his latest film Kisko Tha Pata which was released on Zee Cinema on December 25. The film directed by Ratnaa Sinha also stars Aadil Khan and Ashnoor Kaur. Akshay also shed some light on his other films Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari and Toxic.

You started the year 2024 with Fighter. How was the year for you in totality?

Akshay Oberoi: I guess lots of learning, growth, and understanding. I’ve been working for many years, trying to achieve something as an actor. Finally, when you hit a milestone like a Fighter, you’re in a big commercial scene with one of India’s biggest directors and India’s biggest stars, it feels like all the years of struggle and bouncing from set to set and trying to get better as an actor, pays off. And that led to a lot of gratitude. I would say 2024 has been a year of gratitude. This year has taught me to pause and reflect on the positive, instead of just forging ahead to create more ambitions.

And only milestone movies like Fighter can make you pause. Otherwise, I feel like I’ve been running hard trying to get somewhere. And then turn back and think, “Where was I heading in the first place?” You’re constantly trying to do and achieve something. While all that is still there, I think this year taught me to appreciate and value what I’ve achieved. I read a quote that said only 1% of actors are working actors, regularly employed as actors. That’s a very low statistic.

What is your film Kisko Tha Pata on Zee Cinema about?

Akshay Oberoi: It’s a rooted Desi love story, high on emotion. For many years, the love stories we were making in Bombay were very urban. Those characters felt very not Indian in a sense. Even the styling of the people, the things they would do, their behaviours, and their personalities were alienating to the audience. We, as Hindi cinema, tended to make films for critics or foreigners because those films looked like that. I frankly feel that’s a huge mistake we made over the last couple of decades.

Kisko Tha Pata is rooted in our culture. It’s rooted in the way that we view romance and marriage as an Indian culture. I think Ratnaa Sinha (director) excels at this. Even if you look at her films Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana and Middle-Class Love, the emotions are connected with the Desi culture. That’s what attracted me to this script, so I decided to do it.

Tell us something about the character you play in Kisko Tha Pata.

Akshay Oberoi: In the past, I’ve played chocolate boys and dark characters, whether it was Gurgaon, Flesh, or Madam Chief Minister. I have played either black or white characters. I’ve never played something that has both in one. This film offered me that. There are different layers of my character and it undergoes an extreme transformation. As the film progresses, you learn there’s more than what meets the eye about this guy. That complexity is also what gives you a kick as an actor. I think that was super attractive as an actor.

You said that it’s a rooted love story. Where is the film based and where was it filmed?

Akshay Oberoi: The story is based in Raipur and the entire film was shot in Raipur. People from the area are also cast in the film. It feels like it belongs in a tier 2, tier 3 city. Shooting on actual locations naturally lends itself to world-building in so many ways that are not even tangible.

I feel the audience is super sharp. They can smell inauthenticity and that turns them off. In any way, everything on a film set is fake. So, I prefer to go to a real location and shoot there. Sometimes the budget doesn’t allow it, sometimes it’s inconvenient, or the locations are not available. But I’m so glad that this film is entirely shot in Raipur.

Why is the film being released direct-to-TV (Zee Cinema)?

Akshay Oberoi: It was always going to be released on Zee Cinema. It wasn’t an afterthought to release the film on TV. Zee came to Ratnaa Sinha saying, “Let’s make a film for the large Desi audience that still watches cable television.” So, when Ratnaa approached me, she said, “Look, there is this caveat here.” I said, “That’s not a caveat for me.” This is a great idea because, with OTT, sometimes somebody will take a subscription only to watch the film and then turn it off, or bounce to a different streaming service. Here, I know if we make a film for the audience that watches cable and satellite to date, it will get a huge influx of eyeballs.

I think more people in India should be doing this. It will also help us figure out what is working and what is not because you don’t know what works at the Box Office. If you release 100 films straight to cable, at least we will be able to tell what is working for that audience, what that audience wants, because you get that much of a sample size of people watching it.

I’m sure there will be people who will say that I’m doing a direct-to-TV film after doing a film like Fighter. But these things have never mattered to me. I want to reach an audience, whether it’s stage, film, OTT or TV. When I did films such as Gurgaon, Kaalakaandi and Laal Rang, which didn’t do well at the Box Office, but I got respect as an actor. People said that I’d lose that respect if I start acting in web series. I want people to see my work.

So, the only way I can reach the audience is by constantly working and finding new avenues that other people are not doing. I feel we’ve made Kisko Tha Pata for the right audience. I’ve seen the film at the Lucknow Film Festival, and I think this film is going to connect with the audience.

You’ve been working on films polar opposite to one other – Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumar with Dharma Productions and Toxic starring Yash. How different are these two worlds?

Akshay Oberoi: Dharma has been exactly what you think of Dharma. It’s fun, loving, and a family feel. Shashank Khaitan has been one of the most genuine, lovable, caring, kind directors I’ve ever worked with. He’s fantastic with actors because he’s an actor himself. So, he understands what an actor needs. It’s my first film with Dharma, but it feels like it’s my 20^th film with them. There is comfort. They take such good care of you. It’s a fun-loving film about people, a wedding, and some stuff going on. When I go back to that set, it’s like reuniting with a joint family.

Toxic is a wholly different world. It’s a humongous action film with such talented actors. There was a night recently when I would shoot for both films on the same night. I remember going from the Toxic set in Madh Island, Mumbai, rushing across the city to Film City to join the crew for Sunny Sanskari… I’ve been working for so many years now that I’m able to switch on and switch off much more than I used to earlier. So, I adjusted quickly when I was shooting on the same night for two films. It also showed me how much personal growth as an actor I’ve been able to achieve over the years.

You will be reuniting with your Gurgaon director Shanker Raman for a film where you play a cop, right?

Akshay Oberoi: Shanker and I have been working on developing something together, but he may or may not actually be a cop. Shanker is one of my most favourite directors I’ve worked with. I think he brought out a performance in me that very few directors could. He understands me and knows how to present me. I think he’s the first one who thought, “I can make this sweet chocolatey face negative as well.” After watching Gurgaon, people started casting me in negative roles.

Where do you think the Hindi film industry lags in making brave casting choices?

Akshay Oberoi: I don’t blame anyone for making conservative choices. There’s a lot at stake. Anything could go wrong while you’re making a film down to the release date, what’s happening in the country at the time. So, everyone is just trying to minimize risk. It’s the world we’ve created. We have built a society that salutes money. You will always look for an actor whose Box Office is bigger than the actor who is more talented.

So, if that is the game we are playing to maximize economics, we’ll make decisions accordingly. That hampers movies, that hurts the way stories are told, but that will not change because as human beings, we are all risk averse.

Yash is an example of a risk taker, which is why he got that big reward (KGF films). I don’t know many actors who would have said, “I’m going to take a regional film that people don’t generally watch Pan-India, and I’m going to put all the money into this film, and it’s going to work.” To have that conviction and to take that risk requires that kind of a person.

I’m not sure how many producers in Bombay would take a chance like that on someone, which is why we all have to carve our own journey. I’ve been playing this game long enough to understand the way things work and there are no hard feelings. But I do wish that we had more risk-taking ability. I think that the South understood it faster than we did. I think we got too cozy and comfortable and continued doing the same thing.

What is your state of mind going into the new year 2025?

Akshay Oberoi: I’ve been shooting pretty nonstop. I’m looking forward to some days off to recalibrate before the year ends. While I would love to be on a set more than anything, it’s hard to act every day, especially for somebody like me who does multiple projects at a stretch. Working on one movie at a time is a very privileged position to be in. I don’t get paid enough for that. I need to do multiple things.

But sometimes it’s emotionally and physically draining. I always joke that acting is gadha mazdoori, because it’s physically intensive. Emotionally intensive too. So, I’m looking forward to just getting some downtime, being with my son, my wife, and my friends, and having Christmas and New Year off. I will return to work on the sixth of January with a bang.