Is it really a great honour to be placed next to the Khans? Of course it is. That is if an actor`s career has thrived on a number of B-grade action thrillers and there`s no Madhur Bhandarkar or a Ram Gopal Varma in sight.

Akshay Kumar joins the ranks of the big league actors - Shahrukh, Aamir and Salman - to endorse one of the hottest soft drinks, Thums Up. The actor surprisingly dilly-dallied before giving his final consent to the advertisers. That may not be much of a consolation but for someone who hasn`t graduated to doing anything other than the routine stuff (read stunts), joining the A graders must be a high. On his part, though, he is dismissive of his new achievement: "I`ve been around for a long time now. Didn`t I do a mature character in Haan...Maine Bhi Pyar kiya Hai?"

C`mon, let`s face it, Akshay. You need the big time ad more than the ad needs you!