Akshay Kumar: An A to Z of the self-made Bollywood star

BIRTHDAY SPECIAL ON THE LIFE AND CAREER OF HINDI CINEMA’S GREATEST ‘KHILADI’

by ASJAD NAZIR

ON SEPTEMBER 9, Akshay Kumar celebrates his 53rd birthday and will receive warm wishes from fans around the world.

The hardworking actor has been in the heart of Bollywood for 29 years and delivered many memorable moments.

To celebrate his life, career and him turning a year older, Eastern Eye presents an all you need to know A to Z about Akshay Kumar.

A is for Amritsar: Akshay Kumar was born in Amritsar in India as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on September 9, 1967, into a Punjabi family. He grew up in the Chandni Chowk region of Delhi and later, moved to Mumbai when his father left the army to become an accountant with UNICEF.

B is for Bangkok: After getting a black belt in Taekwondo in India, the young Akshay studied martial arts in Bangkok, Thailand, and learned Muay Thai. This training would set him up for a lifetime connected to fitness and enabled him to do his own stunts.

C is for Canadian: The actor got himself Canadian citizenship and claimed he had done so when his career was going through a bad phase. He vowed to reapply for an Indian passport in December 2019 after the truth about his citizenship led to negative publicity.

D is for Danger: The actor gained attention initially for doing death defying stunts in films and became a top action hero early in his career. This daredevil reputation led him towards becoming the first host of popular reality TV series Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and inspired other Bollywood stars to do stunts.

E is for Early days: Before getting his first film break, the actor had various jobs that included working as a chef, waiter, jewellery seller and martial arts teacher. He also worked as a model and got his break after visiting a film studio with his portfolio of photographs.

F is for First film: The first Bollywood movie Akshay signed as a lead was Deedar, but his debut release was 1991 romantic drama Saugandh opposite actress Shanthipriya. His debut and subsequent film Dancer didn’t fair well at the box office, but his third release Khiladi (see K) became a hit.

G is for God: Perhaps one of the most interesting supporting roles the actor has played in his entire career was the almighty in this critically acclaimed comedy drama OMG - Oh My God, which was a huge commercial success. The remake of 2001 Australian film The Man Who Sued God won a National Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

H is for Hera Pheri: After bubbling away under the surface for nearly a decade, Akshay scored his biggest international success with smash-hit 2000 comedy Hera Pheri. This would prove to be a major turning point for the actor and things would get better later in 2000 with the release of blockbuster hit Dhadkan.

I is for International: The actor has had offers from Hollywood, but turned them down. He has also starred in many Bollywood films that have been unofficial remakes of Hollywood films, which include Yeh Dillagi (Sabrina), Main Khiladi Tu Anari (The Hard Way), Angaaray (State Of Grace), Ajnabee (Consenting Adults) and Heyy Babyy (Three Men And A Baby). His film Brothers was an official remake of Hollywood film Warrior.

J is for Jokes: He may have made a name for himself as an action hero, but Akshay has been massively successful in the comedy genre. His comedy successes include Hera Pheri, Heyy Baby, Garam Masala, four Housefull films, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, Desi Boyz, Singh Is Kinng and Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

K is for Khiladi: The 1992 suspense thriller became the actor’s first hit film and earned him a lifetime nickname of Khiladi. It also led to him acting in a whole series of unrelated films with Khiladi in the title, including Sabse Bada Khiladi, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Mr and Mrs Khiladi, International Khiladi and Khiladi 786.

L is for Lifestyle: The actor’s high work rate can be credited to his extremely healthy lifestyle. He does a wide range of sporting activities, strongly believes in eating well and is teetotaler. He works out five-six times a week and regularly spreads the message for good health.

M is for Money: The self-made star regularly appears in Forbes list of richest celebrities. Aside from getting huge acting fees, the actor has lucrative endorsement deals, his own production company and has made big money from live appearance fees. The generous star has regularly made big donations to charity.

N is for National Award: After years of being overlooked, Akshay finally won a major acting award for 1959-set crime thriller Rustom. He won a National Best Actor Award for his portrayal of a naval officer accused of murder in a story based on real events.

O is for Offspring: The actor with his wife Twinkle Khanna (see W) has a boy and a girl. He has kept his two kids away from the media spotlight to give them a normal childhood.

P is for Pad Man: Akshay’s inspirational turn in acclaimed taboo-busting film Pad Man brought the important issue of women’s menstrual health to the forefront and made a huge difference. He became an ambassador for a sanitary pads brand and helped empower women. The film won a National Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues.

Q is for Quantity: Akshay acts in far more movies than any other A-list Bollywood star and has had 33 films released as lead since 2010, along with more featuring him in cameos. He has never been shy about taking on projects because he had 10 movie releases in 1994, seven in 1997 and eight in 2004. He has at least six confirmed projects due for release in the next 18 months.

R is for Remakes: The actor has starred in many official remakes of South Indian films. These include Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (Thuppakki), Khatta Meetha (Vellanakalude Nadu), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Manichitrathazhu), Hera Pheri (Ramji Rao Speaking), Boss (Pokkiri Raja) and Rowdy Rathore (Vikramarkudu).

S is for Sridevi: The biggest named leading lady Akshay was able to star opposite in the first decade of his career was Sridevi in Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin, but unluckily for him, the 1994 film was delayed for a decade and didn’t release until 2004. From the second decade onwards, the actor starred opposite most big named Bollywood leading ladies.

T is True life: Akshay has big screen successes in a wide variety of stories based on real events in the last decade. These include Kesari, Mission Mangal, Airlift, Gold, Rustom and Special 26.

U is for UK: The actor has shot several films in the United Kingdom across the years. These include four Housefull films, Desi Boyz, Gold, Patiala House, Bhagam Bhag and Namastey London. His forthcoming film Bell Bottom recently started shooting in Scotland.

V is for Virus: The first major Bollywood casualty of the coronavirus crisis was the actor’s film Sooryavanshi, which was due for release in March, but postponed due to cinema closures. Another of his major films caught out by the global Covid-19 crisis was Laxmmi Bomb, which will now premiere on a streaming site.

W is for Wedding: After dating a number of high-profile leading ladies, the actor finally settled down in 2001 when he married actress Twinkle Khanna, who is the daughter of Bollywood legends Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia.

X is X-rated: He may have delivered some rude jokes in films, but the actor has stayed away from X-rated content and delivered family friendly films without any explicit content.

Y is for YODA: Akshay has donated to multiple charities, and has been a strong advocate for animal rights and actively supported Youth Organization in Defence of Animals (YODA).

Z is for Zodiac: The actor is born under the Virgo star sign. Winning qualities associated with the zodiac sign include strength, thoughtfulness, perfectionism, hardworking, kindness, logic and being observant. He has used these qualities to rise up and may be continue for years to come.