Akshay Kumar talks openly about discipline, his flop films and the secret of his energy.
Akshay Kumar shares insights on his disciplined approach of managing four films a year and maintaining high energy through effective time management. He also talked about his morning routine and love for comedy.
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar joined India Today Conclave 2026 for your session on saturday successes and failures And spoke candidly about everything – from his remarkable energy and discipline to managing four films a year to life with former actor-wife Twinkle Khanna.
Akshay Kumar’s energy secret
Speaking with Rajdeep Sardesai, Akshay revealed that the secret behind his busy schedule is simple time management and discipline.
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When asked about the secret behind his energy and how he still completes several films every year, Kumar said that the answer lies in planning and preparation.
He said, “Look, many people say I do four films a year. I do that because I have a lot of time. There are 365 days in a year. As I was telling you earlier, I also take most of my holidays. And when I start a film, I start by reading the script – at least around 100 times. Maybe more than that.”
The actor revealed that he prepares extensively before the film starts. He said, “That’s why the flow of the film becomes very fast. Most of my films are finished in about 50 or 55 days. That’s how I manage to do it. In about 200 days, I’m able to complete four films. I even take Sundays off, and I always take a week off after about three months.”
upon waking up early in the morning
Kumar also talked about his daily routine, which starts much before sunrise. According to the actor, he gets rare moments of loneliness early in the morning.
He said, “I wake up at 4:30 in the morning. That’s basically the only time I’m completely alone. My wife is sleeping, my kids are sleeping, and no one is awake – even the guard is sleeping.”
During that time the actor often goes out for a quiet walk. He further added, “So I just come out into the garden. There is a beautiful garden in my building and I keep walking there. Sometimes I even jump the wall. There is a beach in front of my house, so I go there and walk. There are dogs around, but they are also sleeping. So I am the only person who is awake, just walking.”
For the next hour or so, Kumar just keeps walking and thinking. Akshay said, “For about one to one and a half hours I just walk. Sometimes I think, sometimes I talk to myself, sometimes I listen to music. I listen to Hanuman Chalisa. These are the things I do.”
He added, “Then I go back, go to my gym and start working out.”
From action hero to reinventing himself as a comic hero
During the conversation, Sardesai also asked if there are two different versions of Akshay Kumar – one who fiercely protects his privacy and another who behaves very differently on the sets.
The actor rejected the idea. He said, “No, I am the way I am. I am the same at home too.” Kumar said, “I love comedy. I love humour, laughter and jokes. That’s what I enjoy the most. I love to laugh, I love to smile and I love to make people laugh on the sets too.”
He likes to keep things light and fun rather than serious. “I’m always joking and having fun. I’m never serious. I hate being serious, and I hate anything that restrains me or silences me. I don’t like that.”
He said, “I like to live my life to the fullest. That’s all.”
Rajdeep Sardesai: Do you ever pinch yourself at night and say that you were the one who had very little chance of making it to Bollywood? You played a small speaking role in 1987, where you didn’t have much to do. Do you pinch yourself and wonder how it all happened?
Akshay Kumar: I have always flowed like water. I have always tried to be like water in my life. I have kept my life like water. I’ll tell you something – I’ve been a big fan of Bruce Lee for a long time. He used to say, “If you pour water into a cup, it becomes the cup. If you pour water into your hand, it takes the shape of your hand.” So just be like water. Keep flowing. Wherever life takes you, go with it. If there is high tide, it will take you faster. If it is low tide, you will move slowly. And if it’s stable, that’s okay too – you stay stable for a while.
I’ve never really made any plans. I have always let life take its course. I also want to say that I have given many flop films in my career. There came a time in my life when I had 16-17 flop films in a row. Things could have gone very wrong. But still I had work. Even at that time I had four-five films in my hands.
This is because I have always believed that discipline is one of the most important things. And I want to tell people who want to come into this industry – even if you become an actor at the age of 19 or 20, it’s fine, but you have to have discipline. Become a producer’s actor. These are some simple principles that I learned very early in life and that is how I have continued to work.
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