Dear me ... second Part

My teacherīs name was Kim Ling Chang. He used to take us for a film and ask to watch it carefully. Later he would ask questions like: "What was the color of the heroīs shoes?" or "In which hand did the villain pick up the glass of water?"

If we couldnīt answer, he would give us a hard knock on the head.
But this training in observation helps me today in acting as well as in life. I do not forget a person or his mannerisms once I met him.

When I returned from Bangkok, I first went to Calcutta, where I worked as a peon in a travel agency for a year and a half. Then for six month I worked in Dhaka. From there I went to Dehli, where I traded inī "kundan" jewellery.

I used to buy the pieces in Dehli and sell them in Bombay. There was not much profit in it. I used to earn barely Rs. 3000 per trip. Finally, I came to Bombay where I started teaching martial arts to children at schools.

You wonīt believe the kind of odd jobs I have done to survive.
I used to go door-to-door selling UNICEF cards, which my father used to get for me, and earn fifty paise per card At one point.
I was even a dancer for the Toko Fogo Nights which were held at Shanmukhananda Hall.
At that time, I didnīt have any clear picture of my future. I expected I would continue in the same way alltrough my life. I believed that some new oppotunitiy would keep comimg up. And I knew I was capable of doing any kind of work.

I followed a simple principle: whichever offer promised a little more money than my current job, I jumped at it. Then one day I was offered a modelling assignment.
I was made to in an airconditioned room and pose and make few faces. It was so easy! Within two hours I had earned Rs. 4000, which was earning for a whole month of hard work at that time.
I realized that the world of glamour was amazing!

When I got into modeling, I changed my name from Rajiv Bhatia to Akshay Kumar.
It was my own decision. No pundit or astrologer or godfather was involved in it. I had seen an old film, I donīt remember the name now, but I liked the heroīs character in it. Since the characterīs name was Akshay I chose the name.

I used to have a full grown moustache at that time, just a little les bushy than the one I have in my upcoming film "Janwaar". Then one day I went to Vaishnodevi and surrendered my moustache there. And from beneath the moustache someone else emerged! When I came back home, everyone was shocked.
Suddenly I looked very young. Because I am very hairy, even at 16 I used to look 25 years old.
I remember I used to be allowed into adult films even in my early teens. I used to love Ramsayīs horro films. But I never dreamed even then that I would join films someday.

After modeling, a friend suggested I should join films.
Since my family was not connected with films and I did not know anyone from the industry, I became an assistant to Jayesh Sheth in order to meet people from the profession.
After working with him for eight months, instead of remuneration I ask him to shoot my portfolio.

The large prints worked in my favour and I immediately got my first film. Although I had to struggle for survival before I entered films, I fortunately didnīt have to struggle much for film role. I landed my first film after I had struggled for barely one month.

I was the original choice for "Phool Aur Kaante", but I couldnīt do the film because the dates they asked for belonged to Pramod Chakravortyīs film "Deedar". But I donīt regret it. Ajay got "Phool Aur Kaante", I got "Khiladi".

I remember, Ajay and I used to both learn film stunts together under his father. We used to practice every morning at Juhu beach. And Ajay used to tellme: "kya re tu subeh jaldi-jaldi aa jaa hai" (comment of the writer: what is this, why youīre coming so early). Because of you my father tells me "Look at him! Why canīt you wake up on time like him."

I will never forget "Khiladi" because it was my first hit. Like everything else in my life, "Khiladi" own his own. I remember one incident that took place after the film was released.
A beggar came up to my car at the traffic signal, tapped on the window and ask for ten rupees. "Why ten rupees?" I ask him. He said: Sir, aapki picture dekhni hai" (comment of the writer: Sir, I want to watch your movie). I liked his style of begging! So I gave him fifteen rupees and told him to eat "samosas" in the interval too.