When Akshay Kumar revealed he earned Rs 20 lakh in few mins by dancing at a wedding, “Shoot ke beech main motorcycle par gaya, cheque liya..."

Bollywood’s Khiladi Kumar, Akshay Kumar, never fails to surprise audiences with stories from his early hustle years, and the actor recently shared one such fascinating anecdote during the season 3 finale of The Great Indian Kapil Show. Known today as one of the industry’s most disciplined and bankable stars, Akshay revealed that there was a time when he literally sprinted between a film shoot and a private wedding performance, all for a paycheque that seemed irresistible at the time.

The actor recalled an incident from the shooting days of Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, where he starred alongside Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. According to Akshay, he received an offer to perform at a wedding that coincided with the film’s schedule. Despite being in the middle of a shoot, the lure of the opportunity pushed him to pull off a move that left even the show’s audience in splits.

Sharing the story in his trademark candid style, Akshay said, “Fatafat piche maine apne security guard ko ready rakha hua tha. Motorcycle li, uske piche baith gaya aur karte karte airport tak yaha baju mein fatafat show kiya, apna cheque liya aur waha se nikla…” The actor explained how he quietly slipped away from the set, hopped on a motorcycle, rushed to the airport, performed at the wedding, collected his cheque, and returned, all without anyone on the film set realising what had just happened.

The revelation highlighted not just Akshay’s fearless attitude but also the sheer demand Bollywood stars enjoy at private events. Today, celebrity wedding performances can command fees running into several crores, but back in 2004, Rs 20 lakh for a few minutes on stage was considered a massive amount. Akshay openly acknowledged that the sum was too good to ignore at that stage of his career, especially when he was still cementing his position in the industry.