Veteran actor Sudhir Pandey opens up about his relationship with Akshay Kumarrevealed that the superstar occasionally relied on a teleprompter while shooting lengthy scenes in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Pandey, who has starred with Akshay in films like “Paandav”, “Tees Maar Khan”, “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha” and “Padman”, also praised Akshay’s growth, saying his performance has improved significantly over the years.
Sudhir Pandey on Akshay Kumar’s use of teleprompter
While talking to Siddharth Kannan, Sudhir was asked about the long-standing industry buzz surrounding Akshay’s use of cue cards and teleprompters on the sets. Recalling their early days working together in “Paandav”, the veteran actor said that even with some help, Akshay initially struggled to remember his dialogues.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 longequense mein. Ab ho sakta hai use ek suvidha miltha longequense mein. Ab ho sakta hai problem ek suvidha milti abohn ohohn hijah hijah hijahn They abuse. Once you get used to something (which he used) in the long sequence of “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha”, maybe he has now started abusing the system and once you get used to it, it becomes difficult to get used to it.When asked whether the large cue cards placed in front of Akshay during the scenes would distract other actors, Sudhir dismissed the concern.“No, eye contact toh hota rehta hai. Yeh toh Sirf help karne ke liye rehta hai.” (No, maintain eye contact the whole time. It’s just helping)The actor further explained that his own approach to acting is very different. He said he prefers to internalize every dialogue before performing and can’t imagine relying on a teleprompter while in front of the camera. When Siddharth Kannan asked whether character actors would also have access to such a facility, Sudhir smiled and admitted that he was “not sure”.
Sudhir Pandey praises Akshay’s transformation
Discussing Akshay’s work ethic, Sudhir emphasized that the actor has come a long way over the years.“Akshay was still very raw. If we compare him now, his performance has taken a leap. He used to retake the exam frequently. But every time he retakes the exam, his performance improves.” Retaking the exam is not a bad thing. Times have changed now. You can now retake the exam as many times as you want. But in the past, when there was stock, producers were wary of reshoots. “Sudhir said Akshay continues to improve with every shoot and ends up becoming a stronger performer.
Suneel Darshan also made a similar disclosure
Sudhir Pandey is not the first industry insider to talk about Akshay’s reliance on dialogue cues. Earlier, film producer Sunil Darshan had also confirmed that the actor occasionally used placards during the shoot.Darshan said in an interview with Vicky Lalwani, “It is very good if an actor can remember his lines, but it was always difficult for him to remember a full page of dialogue. It was okay in the beginning because he was doing less work, but in the last few years of our collaboration, he really had problems. We used to put up placards and ask him to read, and he was not the first one to read.”Akshay Kumar was last seen in Welcome to the Jungle, which received a mediocre response at the box office.
