Five things you DIDN'T know about Akshay Kumar

The fiercely private Akshay Kumar kinda opened up on Karan Johar's red couch...

An appearance on Koffee With Karan can be daunting even if you are one of the host's buddies.

While the sensationalist show has made Bollywood celebrities even more wary of it (by their own admission, when they appear on KWK), KJo has got some unlikely folk to grace his couch this season.

After Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, it was Akshay Kumar -- perhaps the only actor of his generation who has sustained his stardom without the crutches of family, big banners and filmi camps.

Reluctantly candid and well-guarded at most times, Akshay came with a resolve to give -- in good humour of course -- the thrill-seeking host a taste of his own medicine.

Akshay had come armed with a rapid fire round for KJo and routinely reminded him of the torture he subjected his guests to.

In the process, the fiercely private Akshay revealed some things about himself.

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Akshay says he loves his wife Twinkle's -- Tina to her childhood bud KJo who has known her since he was 6 -- honesty.

When Akshay took Twinkle for one of his film's previews, he was shocked when she told the film's producer that he had made a 'shitty film.'

Akshay added that the producer has never signed him for another film since.

These days, he says he doesn't take Twinkle for previews -- if they do, the couple slip out a few minutes before the film ends.

KJo and Twinkle were at a Panchgani, Maharashtra, boarding school briefly before Dimple and Rajesh Khanna's older daughter encouraged Yash Johar's only child to run away from the school after just five days there.

Tina, KJo said, was his first love. When she turned down his first film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the director signed Rani Mukerji and named her character after Missus Akshay Kumar.

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Salim Khan, arguably Bollwyood's great story-teller and a certain supserstar's dad, is extremely fond of Akshay.

Salimsaab often asks Akshay to show him his movies. Akshay does that, but only after carefully checking if the flick will enhance the great screenwriter's opinion of his skill.

Salman Khan, on his Koffee With Karan episode, hailed Akshay as the only actor who had successfully reinvented himself.

Akshay and Salman, who have acted together in a few movies, seemed touched by Sallu's generosity.

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Akshay has sustained his stardom for the longest time without having big banners to back him.

'I have worked with the most number of newcomers,' he said at one point on the show.

When KJo pointed out that he had charted his own way and successfully too, Akshay said he had "no other option. When big directors don't give you a break, you have to look for other ways."

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Akshay confessed he is a card sharp who learnt how to fix cards during his days in Thailand.

KJo's mum Hiroo Johar, Akshay added, often asks him to sit by her side while she is playing cards to help her win.

Akshay dislikes parties, and rarely spends more than 30 minutes at a filmi do.

Even half an hour at a party, Akshay complained to KJo, is too much!

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On the part of the show where co-stars speak about the guest, Lara Dutta revealed Akshay is awful at memorising dialogues.

So a paper with his dialogues are stuck on a co-star's costume, or on their back, or on a prop, from which he reads and delivers his lines.

'I have that system as a backup,' Akshay said in his defence, 'just in case I fumble in between. When you are shooting with another actor in the frame and you fumble after they have delivered their lines, we need to do a retake.'

'That means a waste of time for the other person. This helps me avoid such a situation.'