Akshay: TMK helped me polish up my pranks

Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar may not have much in common except stardom. But they do have one more thing in common at the moment. A harried wife who constantly finds things missing in the house whenever the star-husband is around.

It's to do with the two stars' roles in their latest films. Both Akshay and Hrithik play characters who can do away with valuables at the blink of an eye. While Akshay Kumar plays a con-man in Tees Maar Khan Hrithik played a magician in Guzaarish. They were both trained to perform disappearing tricks before they tackled their respective roles.

Hrithik was trained under a world-famous Ukranian magician while Akshay mastered the sleight -of-hand tricks from an expert on the sets before plunging into the role of the chalaak charlatan in Tees Maar Khan.

Uncannily both the stars have become compulsively attached to the art of performing vanishing tricks, Akshay more than Hrithik. In fact Akshay is a certifiable prankster anyway.

Says Akshay, "It's actually my training in martial arts that comes in handy when I want to make things disappear. You can press a nerve in a person's hands or shoulder and that person wouldn't know when the watch or chain is gone. The role in Tees Maar Khan offered me a chance to polish up my pranks. Now I'm the terror among all my friends. They never know what can go missing when I'm around."

Nowadays whenever Akshay Kumar is around Katrina Kaif clutches at her valuable possessions with all the strength she has at her disposal. If her attention wavers for even a second anything from her most favourite ring to her cellphone just vanishes. Of course she knows who makes her things "go away". But getting her possessions back from Akshay is not that easy these days.

Incidentally, both the maestros of the vanishing trick Hrithik and Akshay have an ardent fan in their son. While Akshay's family despairs at his disappearing tricks, his son Aarav loves his father's sleights of hand. Likewise Hrithik's son Hrehaan who wants papa to perform all the magic tricks for his little friends.

Interestingly, Akshay will use his latest acquired hocus-pocus skills as a marketing device.