Akshay Kumar on memes that he is preparing for midnight runner Pradeep Mehra biopic: ‘Who doesn’t like a good laugh’

One of the most common tropes on social media these days is that as soon as any inspirational story comes to light, there are memes that actor Akshay Kumar wants to do a biopic on the person. It started with Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra last year and has continued right up to 126-year-old Swami Sivananda or 19-year-old midnight runner Pradeep Mehra. In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Akshay responded to these memes. Also read: Akshay Kumar: I don’t say no to ANY work, it’s kaam, kamaayi, karm for me

Akshay has had his share of biopics and inspirational films over the course of his career. He has been part of several such films like Airlift, Pad Man, and Mission Mangal. His frequency of issue-based films has led to this long-running joke that he is actively seeking such stories to turn them into films.

Talking about it with Hindustan Times, Akshay said, “If the meme is funny, I laugh. Aur nahi toh kya, normal hai…joke acha hota hai toh aap bhi haste ho na (What else, it’s normal. If the joke is good, laugh)? And who doesn’t like a good laugh?”

The actor added that he takes being at the centre of these memes as a badge of honour because it means he is relevant with the audience. “As for being at the center of these memes, I couldn’t be happier because I’m glad over the years I’ve managed to carve out a space for myself wherein I can fit into such varied roles, it’s what has helped me stay relevant and in the memory of my audience. The one featuring Pradeep, I saw that one, it’s a still from my upcoming film Raksha Bandhan,” he said.

Akshay’s latest release Bachchhan Paandey did not do very well at the box office, earning only ₹46 crore in week one. The actor admitted it was partially because of the success of The Kashmir Files. “Yes, I would have liked Bachchhan Paandey to better than what it is doing but not once do I blame the Kashmir files for it. That film is a storm and we came in the eye of it,” he said.

Akshay is set to be seen in multiple films this year. He will first be seen in the title role in the period biopic Prithviraj, which also stars Manushi Chhillar, Sanjay Dutt, and Sonu Sood. He also has Ram Setu and Raksha Bandhan in pipeline this year.