‘I thought I fit in tall, dark, handsome category and will get work’: Govinda Naam Mera actor Akkshay Gunaawat

After three consecutive releases including Thar, Attack and Prithviraj this year, actor Akkshay Gunaawat calls his role of the lead antagonist in Govinda Naam Mera a dream come true. For the first time, the actor got his own character poster which introduced him as ‘Govinda ka kameena sautela bhai’ as he played Vicky Kaushal’s step-brother in the comedy drama. He calls himself a fan of the cinema of 90s who always wanted to do a “full on Bollywood entertainer” and play a “dhansu” character. “My character was confident from outside but was vulnerable from inside. I had decided for my character that he is very scared of physical violence,” says Akkshay. Also read: Trupti Khamkar: ‘After Govinda Naam Mera, I won’t work as bai for anyone’

In Govinda Naam Mera, Akkshay plays a South Indian with a moustache who is hell bent to take Vicky’s dilapidated bungalow worth ‘150 crores’. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Akkshay says, “Director Shashank Khaitan had shot some song sequences for Badrinath Ki Dulhania in Kota and I had watched the shoot from the crowd. Working with the same team was like a dream come true.”

The film went on floors in March last year and the unit couldn’t come very close to each other due to Covid protocols. “But we had fun during the scenes,” says Akkshay. The actor also has a funny story to share about a scene which had his character of Vishnu meeting Vicky and his mom with a lucrative offer to settle their case out of court. He reveals, “The wheelchair I bring for Vicky’s mom is a battery-operated wheelchair. It was fine before the shot but when the entire setup was ready, it stopped working and didn’t start at all. The team decided to pull it with a rope and put mid shots in between. So, we used safety harness and seatbelt and 2-3 people pulled the chair as I sat on it. And the scene was okayed in first take itself.”

In real life, Akkshay comes from the hub of coaching institutes in Kota but was never interested in studies. He says, “There was a movie theatre in the heart of these coaching institutes and PGs. I was never interested in studies and used to bunk school to watch morning shows. I was always amazed, ‘ye bachche aise kaise padh sakte hain, din raat coaching (how can these kids study so much night and day)’. My father gave me proper guidance. He said he can send me to Mumbai only after I get a proper training from a reputed institute. I first joined theatre in Kota and then went to FTII.”

After landing in Mumbai in 2017 and finding some batchmates there, Akkshay had a reality check. “I had a myth. I thought I have height and fit in the tall dark handsome category, so I will get work. But you don’t get anything easily in Mumbai.”