Having grown up as Rajiv Bhatia and spent nearly two decades as Akshay Kumar, which name do you respond to more?
Most people know me as Akshay but my family still calls me Rajiv. I respond to both but I react to Rajiv faster since not many people call me that so whenever someone does, I look around to see who it is.

You always say you’re not part of the race to be numero uno and that there is no competition.
I can’t deny that there’s competition — many of my colleagues believe in competition and the media helps take it to the next level. But I maintain that I’m not in the race — four films, television show, ads, how much more can one do in one year?

Is insecurity as an actor at the root of the competition in the industry?
I guess so — the number one position can be quite a coveted title. I don’t see why else there’d be so much power struggle.

Have you ever felt insecure?
I’m insecure too but that does not make me compete. Because my insecurity is to get work next year or to get good work.

It’s about making and releasing movies and about my movies doing well. It’s the number one position that doesn’t matter.

You thoroughly enjoy commercial cinema but do you do movies for creative satisfaction as well?
I love commercial cinema and I think I’m very lucky to be one of the few people who have the power to entertain people and cut across generations. But I do, at times, do movies for my satisfaction, like I did 8X10 Tasveer — I think it was a great movie — and now Deepa Mehta’s Komagatta Maru.