Vinod said Akshay specifically wanted his wife’s homemade sabudana khichdi. At four in the morning! Vinod’s wife at first didn’t believe him, she thought it was a joke. What made her believe it was Vinod asking her to not use much spice or oil in the cooking.
Why Akshay Kumar asked for a 4 am homemade meal
Vinod remembers telling Siddharth Kannan that she got up at four am to make it, and Akshay really enjoyed eating it. He calls the story a perfect piece of what happens on a movie set, mixing the glamour of a star with the comfortable feeling of home.
Vinod said Akshay was a cheerful colleague and made sure everyone had a good time when they weren’t filming. “We joked a lot, even while we were doing the scene; he’d give me his lines and get me to participate in what was happening,” Vinod said, saying he really enjoyed the experience.
A co-star who shares lines and laughs
Vinod explained Akshay works incredibly hard, is always busy, and has his own way of learning all his lines. They often played tic-tac-toe together on set and Akshay would ask about Vinod’s family. In fact, most of Vinod’s work in the film was with Akshay.
Vinod’s quick summary of working with Akshay is:
– Akshay was happy to make people laugh and keep the atmosphere light
– He included other actors by letting them say his lines
– They played tic-tac-toe when they weren’t filming
– He asked about Vinod’s family
– Arshad Warsi was very focused on his own scenes.
Vinod actually got into acting by chance. A friend told him he could just be in the background of a scene and get 500 rupees and a meal. “I liked that I got breakfast, lunch and 500 rupees at the end of the day,” he said, and that was enough to keep him going.
From odd jobs to the Jolly LLB 3 set
He had been working twelve-hour days as a security guard for 8,000 rupees a month before that. When he became a junior artist, he started making 10,000 to 12,000 rupees. This change from very hard work to getting regular daily pay gave him the determination to become a better actor.
Vinod was very open about how junior artists are often treated. “No one speaks nicely to junior artists; they’re often insulted and treated badly. The assistant directors would be unkind to us. The big stars never humiliated us,” he said, clearly showing a difference between having power and how you behave.
Humiliation that changed his path
He remembered a more experienced actor taking his plate of food when Vinod tried to eat in a room on the set. He was told to leave because he was a junior artist, and he left feeling hurt. “That’s when I decided I had to do something in acting – then at least I’d be able to sit in a room and eat in peace.”
Vinod’s story reminds us that even on large film sets, it’s people and how they relate to each other that are important, as much as the schedule. Akshay asking for simple, not too spicy, khichdi at four in the morning, and enjoying it, shows a more normal side to being a celebrity.
Why this story matters now
And his comments on how junior artists are dealt with show how much effort it takes to move up in the industry. It’s a story about not giving up, small acts of kindness, and the basic respect many of the people working on a busy set are fighting for.
Vinod is now getting noticed for his work in Season 3 of Panchayat and in the films Dream Girl, Thamma and Jolly LLB 3. He’s also been in Jaanwar, Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein, Mandala Murders and Jamtara, and he had an early television role in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi.
What to watch for next
As Vinod’s career starts to progress, that story about the four am khichdi is still with us. It shows both the ambition of someone trying to succeed and the warmth of a star who listened, laughed, and shared scenes, a little bit at a time.
