Akshay Kumar Dodges Tom Cruise Comparisons: ‘My Stunts Are Inspired By Tom & Jerry'

News18

17-06-2025

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Akshay, who has long performed his own stunts, laughed when asked about his viral aeroplane sequence from Khiladi 420, which resurfaced around the release of Dead Reckoning.
Akshay Kumar, known as Bollywood's original action star, recently credited an unexpected source for inspiring some of his most daring stunts – Tom & Jerry! In a new interview with Pinkvilla, the Housefull 5 actor opened up about drawing action ideas from the classic cartoon duo and also reacted to comparisons with Hollywood icon Tom Cruise.
Akshay, who has long performed his own stunts, laughed when asked about his viral aeroplane sequence from Khiladi 420, which resurfaced around the release of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. While fans noted similarities between the two plane stunts, Akshay humbly dodged the comparison and instead credited his love for Tom & Jerry as his true influence.
'You know where I draw all this inspiration from? You will not believe it from Tom & Jerry," he said with a smile. Calling it 'the most violent thing," Akshay added, 'It is apparently made for children, but actually, if you look, there is so much action."
Recalling how the cartoon influenced specific scenes in his films, Akshay shared, 'I remember Tom coming from the helicopter, hanging and picking up Jerry – I did that in Sabse Bada Khiladi. Then, Tom is hanging on a plane, which is there in Khiladi 420."
He even noted a Khatron Ke Khiladi stunt was inspired by a moment where Tom and Jerry enjoy wine mid-air while lying in a hammock beneath a plane. 'It is so violent. Please try to understand — it is a violent film you are showing your children," he quipped.
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