Why Akshay Kumar is ready to give away his National Award

The actor said he will give it away if people think he doesn’t deserve it. He said he’s won the award on merit.

Akshay Kumar’s National Film Award for Best Actor has sparked a controversy. While the film fraternity has congratulated him for bagging the honour, the janta thinks that his role in Rustom is undeserving of an award.

Film buffs in India have always participated in a healthy debate after every award show and it isn’t any different this year. Akshay, who portrayed the character of naval officer, Commander KM Nanavati in the biopic Rustom was convincing and dynamic. However, the average Indian thinks that the award should have gone to Aamir Khan for his role in Dangal.

What followed after the jury’s announcement was a conspiracy theory that undermined and dismissed the actor’s skills. Indian film audiences claimed that Akshay won the award merely as a result of his closeness to jury member Priyadarshan. Perhaps it is this allegation that has irked the actor.

Akshay has finally come out and said that his National Award can be taken away if people think he doesn’t deserve it. “I got it after 25 years. If you think I don't deserve it, you can take it away,” he told The Times of India.

Interestingly, the actor earlier told Karan Johar on Koffee with Karan that he doesn’t attend award functions for a reason: he rarely wins any. And this year, his emphatic victory will perhaps be marred by the allegations surrounding it.

Akshay, known for the longest time as the action hero of Bollywood, was nominated for the National Film Award for Best Actor for his roles in Rustom and Airlift. Both movies are a departure from action-heavy blockbuster films manufactured for mass audiences.