There are many on-screen heroes in the world of popular Indian cinema, Bollywood, from Abhishek Bachchan to Sanjay Dutt, but when it comes to great Bollywood action films, look no further than Akshay Kumar. He, unlike most other Indian film heroes, actually practiced martial arts, acting and dancing, which made him in demand even in Hollywood.
Akshay Kumar, whose real name is Rajiv Hari Om-Bhatia, was born on November 9, 1967 in Amritsar, Punjab, India. At the age of nine, following his father's advice, Rajeev began practicing martial arts. Living in Bangkok for some time, Rajeev began honing his fighting skills there. He eventually earned black belts in Taekwondo and karate, and also practiced Muay Thai.
Growing up, Rajiv simultaneously worked as a cook in a street stall and a martial arts teacher. One of his students from a modeling agency realized that Rajiv would have a successful modeling career, which, in fact, happened a little later. In 1991, Rajiv was discovered by a film producer, and he soon became known in Bollywood as Akshay Kumar.
In 1992, after a series of small roles, Akshay made his first breakthrough with Khiladi, his most famous action film. Combining shooting with his martial arts skills, Akshay emerged as the biggest star. After that, a whole series of films with him in the leading role were released, the title of which contained the word “Khiladi”, for example, “Main Khiladi Tu Anari” (1994), “Mr. & mrs. Khiladi” (1997), “International Khiladi” (1999) and “Khiladi 420” (2000).
However, being a major Bollywood on-screen hero, Akshay is a multi-talented man. Thanks to them, he randomly starred in the successful romantic comedy Garam Masala (2005), the screwball comedy Hera Pheri (2000) and its sequel Phir Hera Pheri (2006). Sometimes he could even be seen in horror films like Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani (2002).
Having a reputation as a playboy, Akshay settled down in 2001 by marrying actress Twinkle Khanna. They now have two children. In addition to his film career, Akshay hosted a series of documentary programs on martial arts on the National Geographic Channel, appeared on the stage in the Bollywood play “Heat” and recorded a song dedicated to the victims of the Mumbai bombing that occurred on July 11, 2006.
Akshay recently returned to action films with the film Tashan, unlike his old friend Saif Ali Khan. After such a long gap from making films in this genre, Tashan could, in essence, be Akshay's return to action star status, similar to the return of Dolph Lungdgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme with their recent work in a number of direct-to-DVD films. Only time will tell whether fate will be favorable to Bollywood film hero Akshay Kumar.
Selected filmography (without translation of titles)
- 2009 – Hera Pheri 3 (non-action)
- 2008 – Tashan
- 2006 – Phir Hera Pheri (non-action)
- 2005 – Waqt: The Race Against Time
- 2004 – Aitraaz
- 2004 – Aan: Men At Work
- 2004 – Police Force: An Inside Story
- 2004 – Khakee
- 2002 – Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani
- 2001 – Ajnabee
- 2000 – Khiladi 420
- 2000 – Hera Pheri (non-action)
- 1999 – International Khiladi
- 1999 – Jaanwar
- 1997 – Insaaf: The Final Justice
- 1997 – Mr. &Mrs. Khiladi
- 1996 – Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi
- 1995 – Sabse Bada Khiladi
- 1994 – Main Khiladi Tu Anari
- 1992 – Khiladi
Author: Albert Valentin
Source: kungfucinema
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: Akshay Kumar, biography, Bollywood
Tags: Akshay Kumar, biography, Bollywood
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