Transformers —Dark Of The Moon opens in  the theatres today, as part of a simultaneous global release, and Akshay Kumar, who’s lent his voice to Optimus Prime, is upbeat: “It’s by far the most famous robotic superhero ever created, the title alone is its USP. I’m a huge fan of the franchise, both my son and I loved Part 1 and 2. I even gifted Aarav the talking helmet and mask of Optimus Prime two years ago. He was jumping all over when he was told that daddy was going to be India’s Optimus Prime,” beams the Bollywood star.

He says it’s great for an actor to be able to dedicate a film to his or her child. “I’m happy for Shah Rukh (Khan) that he’s able to make a film like RA.One that his kids will treasure forever. I know Aarav will never forget Transformers 3, and neither will I,” Akshay says emotionally.

He’s seen parts of the film while dubbing and claims that Part 3 has the strongest storyline and mind-blowing special effects. “3D has changed cinema, I’m almost gutted and can’t wait to see more,” he admits.

Akshay has dubbed for the Hindi version and believes this will draw in more families. He points out that Hollywood films could do amazing business in India if dubbed in our languages and ditto for Hindi moves dubbed in English there.

He’s delighted that select viewers got  to see the film at a special screening on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the show, though I’d secretly planned to take my son and his friends to it. I’m filming Housefull 2 in London. My wife (Twinkle) and son have been with me this last month, now it’s time for them to return home,” Akshay sighs. “At least Aarav has something incredible waiting for him when he gets there.”

Everyone talks about how much Akshay Kumar charges yet he did this film for free. “Now I can say I’m not as money-minded as you all make me out to be,” he smiles. “This film is a gift to my boy, I couldn’t charge for it. It wouldn’t be a gift then.”

Will we see him acting in a Hollywood film next? “I love my film industry, I don’t want to go running to the other side any day soon,” he retorts, adding that if he was offered a great script, he’d be honoured to be part of the project. “But I’m happy with my films here. I’d rather be a great white shark in Bollywood than another small fish in Hollywood.”

Dubs like it!
“It was nerve-racking dubbing over the deep, famous voice of Optimus Prime. The timing has to be exact and that’s difficult as Hindi syllables are longer. Then, there were the screaming fights,” Akshay points out, adding that he could only dub half of it in Mumbai and had to finish the rest in a state-of-the-art London studio. “I was connected ‘live’ through Skype to India and the US. I got the thumbs up before I left the studio.”

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