We should respect stuntmen for what they do Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar has high regards for stutmen who risk their lives for meagre amounts of money and says if he had not been an actor, he would have been a stuntman.

Stunt is an art. When we see stuntmen flying high and jumping from a highrise, we should respect that. And how much are they paid? Not more than Rs.6,000. Having high regards for them, I can proudly say that had I not been an actor, I would have been a stuntman. It's one of the best works," Akshay told reporters here.

The actor, who returns to the small screen as the host of the fourth season of adventure reality show "Khatron Ke Khiladi", performed a nerve-wracking stunt at Filmcity to show that the stunts in this season will be original and not camera gimmicks.

Akshay did the stunt after almost five years and said: "I did this stunt almost after five years. Ejecting the car almost 15 feet above the ground, bursting the oil tanker and crashing it on ground. It's one of the most difficult stunts. I had given all my experience to this stunt."

The show kicks off Friday on Colors.

Akshay had hosted the first two seasons, while the third one was done by Priyanka Chopra.

"I think she (Priyanka) did a pretty good job. Last time the design of the show required a female host. I watched it and I saw that she was very true with what she had done in the show," said Akshay, known as the Khiladi of Bollywood.

"Khatron Ke Khiladi" is the Indian version of the internationally hit show "Fear Factor", and involves dangerous tasks.

Akshay Kumar performs live stunt to promote 'Khatron Ke Khiladi

Actor Akshay Kumar, who returns as the host of adventure reality show "Khatron Ke Khiladi", performed a daredevil live stunt here at Filmcity to stress on the level of stunts in the show this time around.
Akshay, who was known as an action hero before he started doing comedies, first came on a bike wearing a fire-proof suit and said: "I'm doing a stunt like this after five years. I want to tell everyone who is present here that whatever you will see is very risky and it is all real."

Then the actor chanted the Gayatri Mantra and sped away only to return in a car that burst into flames after moving for some distance, but came out safely.

The show that kicks off Friday on Colors, is the fourth season of the show. While the first two seasons were hosted by Akshay, the third had seen Priyanka Chopra as the host.

For this season, the channel has chosen 13 female celebrity participants - each teamed up with a male partner.

The celebrity participants include former Indian women's cricket captain Anjum Chopra, models Diandra Soares, Alesia Raut and Poonam Pandey, actresses Aarti Chhabria, Smita Bansal and Aashka Goradia, item girls Sambhavna Seth and Kashmera Shah, two VJs - Bani and Mia Uyeda, singer Mauli Dave and Dina Singh who is actor Vindu Dara Singh's wife.

"Khatron Ke Khiladi" is the Indian version of the internationally hit show "Fear Factor", and involves dangerous tasks involving at heights and with creepy crawlies.

SRK takes on Ramdev, says fast politically motivated

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday said yoga guru Baba Ramdev's proposed hunger strike against corruption is politically motivated, and added that he would not support the agitation.
I do not know what his agenda is. As soon as somebody gets embroiled in politics and becomes a political leader, I think they develop their known way of thinking. I think what they are saying is very good, but if you have a political party, I am apolitical by nature. So I don't align myself. I think he has a political party now," Shah Rukh Khan told reporters here.

"This has been said for years, remove black money, corruption needs to be going out, and if this is one way of looking at it, wonderful, something is being done. But as far as I am concerned, I like to make an opinion through my work because everyone should do what they are supposed to do," he added.

Asserting that black money stashed abroad should be declared a national property, Ramdev earlier today remained firm on going ahead with his fast to demand urgent steps to curb corruption.


"The black money stashed abroad should be declared national property, and keeping black money should be considered a crime at par with sedition. We are not staging any protest or rebellion," he told reporters here.

Ramdev also rubbished reports of differences with veteran social activist Anna Hazare.

"I talked to Anna Saheb before coming here, there are no differences, we were together and we are together," he added.

Meanwhile, Anna Hazare announced that he will take part in Ramdev's movement against black money and corruption.


"I will join Baba Ramdev on June 5. I will sit with him on the dais and discuss many issues. If we all get together, then the government will have to concede to our demands,"
he told reporters in Ralegoan, Maharashtra.

Hazare made it clear that there is unity among civil society members and the perception that Ramdev is upset about the inclusion of father-son duo of Shanti and Prashant Bhushan in the Lokpal Bill drafting committee is in correct.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said the next round of talks between the government and Baba Ramdev will be held on Friday to further discuss the latter's proposed hunger strike plan.

"I am told that they have agreed to meet again on June 3 to continue the discussions and I will advise everyone to observe restraint," said Chidambaram.

The government had earlier deputed Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Sudhir Chandra to persuade Baba Ramdev not to undertake the agitation, but the effort failed.

Ramdev announced his decision to go on a fast over the black money issue last month. He is demanding that black money stashed away in safe havens abroad be brought back to India.