‘Akki is a great host’

Funnyman Sajid Khan has managed to rope in Akshay Kumar into the awards-comparing hoopla.

Funnyman Sajid Khan has managed to rope in Akshay Kumar into the awards-comparing hoopla. The director recently hosted Zee Cine Awards in Singa-pore where for the first time he had Akshay Kumar for company. Sajid says more about Akshay’s debut as an award host: “A lot of people were very surprised to know that Akshay is going to host but I wasn’t because I have worked with him on two films and I know how spontaneous, hardworking and at the same time funny he is.”

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The loyal friend adds: “Hosting comes naturally to me. But Akshay was hosting for the first time. He not only had to get it right but also silence a lot of critics, which he managed very well. The tone which we caught was one of fun rather than one where somebody’s sentiments can get hurt.”

Asked if Akshay was nervous since this was his first time, Sajid says, “Akshay wasn’t nervous, it was just a new territory for him. He did a lot of improvisation. I usually improvise 70-80 percent in an Awards night.”

Sajid reveals more on the kind of jokes heard on the podium. “We basically cracked a lot of jokes on each other’s films. For example - ‘We are your two stars and we have done two films and that’s precisely how much we have received in our reviews - two stars,” he chuckles.