Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar (born September 9, 1967, Amritsar, Punjab, India) is an Indian actor who became one of Bollywood’s leading performers, known for his versatility.

Bhatia was the son of a government worker in a country in which acting often runs in the family. As a young man, he trained extensively in dance and martial arts, and his first movie role, nonspeaking and uncredited, was as a martial arts instructor in Aaj (1987; Today). He worked at a Bangkok food stall, tried his hand at modeling, and appeared in several films before being offered a starring role in Deedar (1992; “Glimpse”) by director Pramod Chakravarthy. It was in those early stages of his career that he took the professional name Akshay Kumar.

Kumar acted in a steady stream of thrillers and fast-paced dramas, including Khiladi (1992; “Player”), which brought him considerable attention. His athleticism and daredevil nature were well displayed in action films such as Main khiladi tu anari (1994; I’m the Expert, You’re the Novice), in which Kumar played a police inspector protecting a star witness. He again portrayed a conflicted policeman in Mohra (“Pawn”), one of the most popular Indian films of 1994. Despite his success in those high-intensity roles, Kumar’s good looks also led him to star in romantic comedies such as Yeh dillagi (1994; The Game of Love), a loose adaptation of the American film Sabrina, and Dhadkan (2000; “Heartbeat”), a story of arranged marriage in which Kumar’s character must win over his reluctant bride. Ajnabee (2001; “Stranger”) was a change of pace for the usually charming actor, and his turn as a philandering husband and murderer won him his first Filmfare Award, for best villain.

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With Hera pheri (2000; “Monkey Business”), the versatile actor again took on a new kind of role—that of the comedic lead. Hera pheri was a remake of the Indian film Ramji Rao Speaking (1989), a kidnapping caper, and it was popular enough to lead to a sequel (2006). Kumar continued to appear in comedies, and Garam masala (2005; “Hot Spice”) garnered him a second Filmfare Award, for best actor in a comedic role. His later films included Heyy Babyy (2007), Singh Is Kinng (2008), OMG: Oh My God! (2012), Toilet: Ek prem katha (2017; “Toilet: A Love Story”), 2.0 (2018), Good Newwz (2019), and Laxmii (2020). He also starred in the popular Housefull series of comedy films (2010, 2012, 2016, and 2019).

In 2009 Kumar received one of the Indian government’s highest civilian honours, the Padma Shri, in recognition of his contribution to India’s cultural life.