Veteran actor Sudhir Pandey opens up about working with: Akshay Kumarwhich revealed that the superstar sometimes relied on a teleprompter while filming long scenes in ‘Toilet. Ek Prem Katha’. Sharing screen space with Akshay in films like ‘Paandav’, ‘Tees Maar Khan’, ‘Toilet. Ek Prem Katha’ and ‘Padman’, Pandey also praised the growth of the actor, saying that his performances have improved a lot over the years.
Sudhir Pandey on Akshay Kumar’s use of teleprompters
During a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Sudhir was asked about the long-standing buzz in the industry surrounding Akshay’s use of cue cards and teleprompters on set. Reflecting on their early collaboration in ‘Paandav’, the veteran actor said Akshay initially tried to memorize his dialogues, even with help.Talking about the actor’s current working style, Sudhir said, “Tees Maar Khan mein toh utna nahi kiya tha. Par ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ mein usne help liya tha long sequence mein. Ab ho sakta hai use ek suvidha milti hai, so woh usey abhi abuse karne laga hai. Ek Prem Katha’ long sequence maybe he has started abusing the system.When asked if the huge cue cards placed in front of Akshay interfered with other actors in a scene, Sudhir dismissed the concern.“No, eye contact toh hota rehta hai. Yeh toh sirf help karne ke liye rehta hai.” (No, eye contact is maintained throughout. It is only there to provide assistance)The actor explained that his acting strategy is completely different. He said he prefers to internalize every dialogue before performing and cannot imagine depending on a teleprompter while facing the camera. When Siddharth Kannan asked if such a facility was available to a character actor as well, Sudhir smiled and admitted that he was “not sure.”
Sudhir Pandey praised Akshay’s transformation
While discussing Akshay’s work ethic, Sudhir emphasized that the actor has improved a lot over the years.“Akshay is a bit raw. Compared to now, there is a leap in his performance. In the past he used to do a lot of retakes. But with every retake, he improves his performance. Retaking is not a bad thing. Now times have changed. Now, you can get as many iterations as you want. But in the past, there were stocks and the producers were cautious about taking again. “According to Sudhir, Akshay steadily improved with each take, eventually becoming a stronger performer.
Suneel Darshan made a similar revelation
Sudhir Pandey is not the first industry insider to speak about Akshay’s reliance on dialogue prompts. Earlier, filmmaker Suneel Darshan also confirmed that the actor sometimes uses placards during the shoots.Talking to Vickey Lalwani, Darshan said, “It’s great when an actor can memorize his lines, but for him it’s always difficult to remember complete pages of dialogues. It was manageable in the beginning because he had less work, but he had trouble in the later years of our work.Akshay Kumar was last seen in ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, which received a moderate response at the box office.