Exclusive! Akshaye Khanna: For the actor and human being I am, I got much more than I deserve

Akshaye Khanna is back on screen, this time with State of Siege: Temple Attack. The actor plays the role of an NSG officer who dares to deal with the terrorists all by himself.

In an exclusive interaction with OTTplay, the actor not only opened up about the Ken Ghosh directorial but also got candid about his past achievements, future projects and much more.

Apart from the script, it was the opportunity to work with Ken that convinced Akshaye to be a part of it. He shared, “I liked the script. I was keen to work with Ken and was thrilled about the action genre, the pace. These were one of the several reasons.”

Further elaborating on his experience working with Ken, Akshaye added, “Instead of sugarcoating, which is so painful to read, let me just say that I would love to work with him again. He’s a very easy-going person to work with and knows his job. I got along with him very well and look forward to collaborating with him in the future.”

So what kind of preparation went into his character? Akshaye answers, “The only kind of preparation was my interaction with Colonel Sen, who the production hired as an advisor, consultant and guide. He’s an NSG colonel who participated in several operations including 26/11 as a soldier. Hence, my preparation was limited to the script and interactions with him. Nothing more exciting than that, sorry.”

Before Temple Attack, Zee5 released another show called State of Siege: 26/11. The series starred Mohit Raina in the lead role. Did Akshaye watch the show before starting his work on Temple Attack? The actor exclaimed that he saw the series much later and became a fan of it.

Akshaye has completed over two decades in the industry. Thus, when we asked him if he received his due as an actor, he was quick to reply, “For the actor and human being I am, I think I got way, way more than I deserve.”

OTT has given a new lease of life to the actors who did not get an opportunity in cinema. Nodding in agreement, Akshaye said, “It’s all there in front of us. It’s more to do with the fact that because OTT is now a reality, there is a lot more content being produced. Now you need to fill another vacuum. There’s a space that needs a lot of content to stay alive. Those platforms rely on older and newer content. The race for newer content is intense. Therefore, if suddenly there’s a greater demand, then someone will produce it. OTT has accelerated the amount of content we produce. Thus, actors who did not get as much work in the past, are busy today.”

Does Akshaye think OTTs have created a level-playing field for actors and filmmakers? The actor replies, “The answer is obviously yes. I’ll come across as extremely stupid if I say no. You pay an amount of money to a platform for a year and you have content ready to watch. It’s literally at your fingertips. Definitely, it has levelled it out. These things, though, are constantly evolving. Nothing is set in stone. Right now, yes, content which was struggling to get eyeballs, now doesn’t have to struggle as much.” The actor is yet to finalise his next project.

State of Siege: Temple Attack is streaming on Zee5.