Akshay KumarAkshay Kumar with his clean cut good looks and a history in martial arts has smoothly made a transition from action hero to a romantic hero and then into comedy, keeping movie buffs glued to their seats as they wait for what this Khiladi has to offer next.
Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia
Akshay Kumar was born as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on the 9 September 1967 in Amritsar to a middle class Punjabi household. His father was a government worker. He grew up in Delhi and later in Mumbai’s Koliwada area. He did his schooling at the Don Bosco School and his college years were spent in Khalsa College, where he showed an inclination for sports.
He studied martial arts in Bangkok while working as a chef. He came back to Delhi to teach martial arts when one of his students suggested he try his hand at modeling, which led to an offer to act in Deedar as the lead actor.
Akshay was linked with several of his co-stars like Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty, Pooja Batra and even Rekha. He is currently married to actress turned entrepreneur Twinkle Khanna and they have a son Araav.
Akshay: Unbuttoned
Akshay Kumar was accused of obscene conduct when he asked his wife to unbutton his Levis while walking the ramp in 2009.
And…..Action!
Akshay Kumar didn’t grab any headlines with his debut Saugandh in 1991. Deedar, Dancer, and Khiladi were released in 1992, with Khiladi being one of the biggest hits of the year. In 1993, he came out with atleast six movies all of which fell flat. But he more than made up for it in 1994 with hits like Mohra with Raveena Tandon, Yeh Dillagi with Kajol and Saif Ali Khan, and Mein Khiladi Tu Anari with Saif Ali Khan and Shilpa Shetty. He received a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor award for his romantic role in Yeh Dillagi.
The Khiladi tag seemed to be a lucky charm of sorts and he proved it with the 1995 hit Sabse Bada Khiladi and then again in 1996 with Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. But the 1997 film Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi failed on that note. The same year, his extended supporting role in Dil To Pagal Hai won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor nomination. The next two years saw most of his films failing at the box office except for Sangharsh with Preity Zinta and Jaanwar.
He tried his hand in the comedy stream quite successfully in 2000 with Hera Pheri, which was a laugh riot. Dhadkan with pal Suneil Shetty and Shilpa Shetty also was a good performer at the box office. His role as Vikram Bajaj in the 2001 release Ajnabee won him the Filmfare Best Villain Award.
The years 2003 to 2006 saw him in Awaara Paagal Deewana, Andaaz, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge (nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor and Filmfare Best Comedian award), Garam Masala, and the sequel Phir Hera Pheri. Garam Masala fetched him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role.
He proved himself yet again in 2007 with almost all of his films ending up as
hits like Namastey London, Bhool Bhulaiya, and Welcome. Though the much hyped Tashan failed to do well in 2008, Singh is Kinng did exceptionally well in India and overseas.He also kickstarted the adventure based TV reality show, Khatron Ka Khiladi.
In 2009, Akshay did not have much success with his releases as they did not match the hype. He was seen in Chandni Chowk to China with Deepika Padukone as a loser who morphs into a winner. While his fans stood by him, the critics slammed it. Nagesh Kukunoor’s 8x10 Tasveer didn’t evoke a good response. Kambakkht Ishq also fell flat. Blue was appreciated for its visuals. De Dana Dan, a comedy, with his pals from Hera Pheri did a decent job at the box office.
He is currently working on five movies-Housefull, Helloo India, Action Replay with Aishwarya Rai, Khatta Meeta, and Patiala House.
