Film maker Priyadarshan recently weighed in on contrasting screen personas Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumarindicating how their individual styles shape the roles they can convincingly portray.Priyadarshan highlighted Akshay’s ability to seamlessly blend into the role of an everyday man. In an interview to India Today he said, “Akshay’s advantage is that he can look like a common man. His body language, the way he walks, especially when I did Khatta Meetha, I really thought he looked like a struggling road contractor,” he said. He also added, “A lot of actors have a more elegant way of carrying themselves. Akshay can definitely look the part, and has the body language of a common man. And he lived like an ordinary man, so he understands the nuances of an ordinary man.’On the other hand, the director explained that Shah Rukh’s polished, urbane persona can sometimes limit his ability to convincingly portray the more down-to-earth rural characters. Recalling their collaboration with Billu Barber, “I remember I took SRK to a very remote village, a village deep in the South. So he asked me, ‘How did you find this place?'” He went on to narrate SRK’s own confession: “He told me something. I’ve never related to a village because I’ve always grown up, I’ve always grown up in Delhi,” added Rukh as his language can never play his body in Delhi. polished, very urban.”Priyadarshan also spoke about his storytelling style, which often draws from the struggles of ordinary people. “What I call the humor of life, the humor of poverty,” he said, deepening his approach to filmmaking. Referring to Hera Pheri, he added, “Honestly, if you ask me, Hera Pheri is a poverty comedy. Everyone is down, no money, nothing.”Meanwhile, Priyadarshan is gearing up for the release of Akshay Kumar-starrer Bhooth Bangla. The film also stars Paresh Rawal, Rajpal YadavTaboo and Wamiqa Gabbi in key roles, and will be released in theaters on April 16.
