Akshay Kumar speaks in Punjabi when negotiating with Karan Johar: 'He doesn’t want others to know what he’s saying...'

Karan Johar, along with Gippy Grewal, recently launched the official trailer of the period action drama 'Akaal' in Mumbai. The movie holds significant value for Karan as it is his production house's first Punjabi film.
During the recent trailer launch, Karan shared how Akshay Kumar switches to Punjabi while negotiating so that the other people around do not understand.
The occasion, held on 18 March, had special significance for Karan as it coincided with the birthdays of his childhood friend Apoorva Mehta, the CEO of his production house, and his mother, Hiroo Johar. More importantly, the My Name Is Khan director viewed this moment as a tribute to his late father, the esteemed producer Yash Johar. “My father was from Lahore. He was connected to his Punjabi roots and traditions. But because my mother was Sindhi, we found common ground in Hindi and English.” He felt proud to introduce the first Punjabi production under Dharma Productions.

See more: Jaya Bachchan mocks Akshay Kumar's film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha: 'Yeh koi naam hai'?
Karan recalled that the Hindi film industry was largely influenced by Punjabis, with most producers and directors hailing from Punjab. He mentioned that Punjabi was commonly spoken on film sets and that heroes were often Punjabi, while heroines were South Indian. He also shared a personal anecdote about his father conversing in Punjabi with distributors while his mother spoke Sindhi, which sometimes confused him. However, he affirmed his strong understanding of Punjabi.
The Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani filmmaker also revealed that he often switches to Punjabi during negotiations, particularly when dealing with actors fluent in the language, such as Akshay Kumar. He humorously recalled moments when Akshay, who has starred in films he produced, like Kesari and Good Newwz, used Punjabi as a strategic communication tool. “Even today, when Apoorva Mehta is the main negotiator and Akshay Kumar doesn’t want Apoorva to know what he wants to say, he talks to me in Punjabi (laughs),” Karan said.
Gippy Grewal’s 'Akaal' is slated for release on April 10 in both Hindi and Punjabi.
See more: When Shilpa Shetty accused Akshay Kumar of two-timing her with Twinkle Khanna: 'There is no point blaming any other woman...'