His brilliant comic timing in Priyadarshan's ‘Garam Masala' has wowed audiences in India and abroad and earned him the tag of the new ‘comedy king' in Bollywood, coming as it does in wake of a host of comedies starring the actor like 'Hera Pheri' and 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'.

However, actor Akshay Kumar insists he is comfortable in all kinds of roles, not merely comedies.

''I feel comfortable doing any kind of role be it emotional roles, that of an action hero or comedies. It's just that two of the films, ‘Garam Masala' and ‘Deewane Huye Paagal', starring me in comic roles have hit the screen one after the other this year and, what is more, my work in these films has been appreciated by the audiences. Hence the impression that people like me only in comedy roles,''says Akshay.

As if to prove that he is equally adept at emotional portrayals as in comedy, Akshay's forthcoming film, Suneil Darshan's ‘Dosti-Friends Forever' features him in an emotional role of a person who shares a deep bond of friendship with his childhood buddy played by Bobby Deol.

Addressing a press conference in the capital last night to promote the film, scheduled for release on December 23, Akshay said,''the general impression may be that I am more comfortable in comedy than other kinds of roles. But the fact is that I also like doing emotional portrayals like the ones I did in 'Dhadkan', 'Ek Rishta', 'Waqt' and ones in my forthcoming films, 'Dosti' and 'Family-Ties of Blood'.''

In this context, Akshay pointed out that the films he had done with filmmaker Suneil Darshan, from 'Jaanwar' to 'Ek Rishta' to 'Andaaz' to the latest 'Dosti' as well as the yet-to-be-released 'Mere Jeevan Saathi' featured him in emotional and intense roles, all of which he had relished doing.

''Infact, it is my roles in these films that have brought me the greatest acclaim and fame as an actor. Perhaps this is because all these roles have, in some way, been closer to my real life persona and had been conceptualised by Suneil keeping this in mind,''Akshay said.