Introduction

Akshay Kumar made it to stardom on his own with no star parents or godfathers to aid him en-route. From the Khiladi series, to Mohra to Dil to Pagal Hai to Garam Masala, he has played myriad roles of action hero, lover and comedian with complete elan.

Early Life

Akshay’s father served in the military and had two children, a son Akshay, and a daughter, Alka Bhatia. His early life was spent in the Chadni Chowk area of Delhi, moving on to study in Don Bosco School in Mumbai and Guru Nanak Khalsa College in Mumbai. After getting a Black belt in Taekwondo in India, he studied martial arts in Bangkok where he learned Muay Thai and worked as a chef and waiter. Soon he returned to India & started teaching martial arts. One of his students was an aspiring photographer, he recommended Kumar into modeling which ultimately led him to take up a modeling assignment and then he signed up for a lead role in the film Deedar by producer Promod Chakraborty in 1992.

Entry Into Bollywood

Although Akshay had made his entry into Bollywood with the 1991 film Saugandh, his claim to fame came from the movie Khiladi in 1992. By 1993, he acted as one of the lead actors for the Kannada film Vishnu - Vijaya along with southern super star Dr Vishnuvardhan. His own super hit movies like Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Mohra soon followed in 1994. These two films were the highest grossers of the year. Thereafter, his Yash Chopra romantic film Yeh Dillagi (1994) also saw success as he was nominated for Best Actor by Filmfare and Star Screen ceremonies. The year 1994 was a bountiful year for Akshay as he did 11 releases: Elaan, Yeh Dillagi, Jai Kishan, Mohra, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Ikke Pe Ikka, Amaanat, Suhaag, Zakhmi Dil, Zaalim and Hum Hain Bemisaal.

His Khiladi series continued in 1995, with the release of Sabse Bada Khiladi, and Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, the former was a hit and the latter was the highest grosser of the year. In 1997, he won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award for Dil To Pagal Hai. However, his fifth Khiladi series movie, Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi, was a commercial failure. After going through a rough patch, he received critical acclaim for his 1999 movies, Sangharsh and Jaanwar with latter film proving to be a commercial success.

The year 2000 saw him perform a comedy role in Hera Pheri, which was successful commercially, and went on to do a romantic role in the film Dhadkan that performed moderately. The Millennium year also saw him perform some of his most daring stunts wherein he jumped of a plane at 1000 feet and onto a hot air balloon in the film Khiladi 420. The following year he played a negative role in the film Ajnabee that won him a Filmfare Award for Best Villain and an IIFA Award for Performance in a Negative Role. In 2002, he played the role of a blind man in the movie Aankhen. He continued his comedy roles in films like Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and Garam Masala (2005). His performance in Garam Masala earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Comedian. He also performed dramatic roles in films like Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love (2001), Bewafaa (2005), and Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005)

His 2006 film Phir Hera Pheri, was a huge success, but in the same year he starred alongside Salman in Jaan-E-Mann, which failed at the box office. His other film that year was Bhagam Bhag. In the same year, he also did a world tour called Heat 2006 with fellow stars Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.

The year 2007 was a very successful year with four hit films Namastey London, Heyy Babyy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and Welcome. Namastey London also got him a nomination for the Best Actor from Filmfare and all the films did well overseas too. In 2008, his film Tashan did not do so well, but everything got made up with the blockbuster Singh is King which broke the first week worldwide record held by Om Shanti Om. Next up, was his animated film Jumbo, while he also made his small screen debut as the host for the successful series Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi (he hosted the second season too in 2009). The year 2009 saw him act in the Warner Bros – Rohan Sippy production Chandni Chowk to China, which bombed at the Box office. His next film 8x10 Tasveer was also a failure but he managed to get Stardust Best Actor Award for his restrained performance. The year also saw him star in movies like Kambakkht Ishq, Blue and De Dana Dan.

In 2010 he began with the comedy film Housefull, which earned the second highest opening weekend collection of all time while he also acted in films like Tees Maar Khan, Khatta Meetha and Action Replayy. In 2011, his films included Patiala House, Thank You and Desi Boyz. These were followed by Breakaway that he co-produced with Russell Peters. The movie was the highest grossing English movie in Canada and later dubbed into Hindi as Speedy Singhs. Later on, he dubbed the Hindi Version for the blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon, taking on the key role of Optimus Prime.

In 2012, his sequel film Housefull 2, was a huge success in Bollywood and was the biggest grosser in New Zealand. Rowdy Rathore came next and marked his return as an action hero after a 7-year hiatus. The film was a blockbuster and earned over Rs 1.3 billion. He returned to the Khiladi series after 11 years with the film Khiladi 786, which was a semi hit. In 2013, his film Special Chabbis was a commercial success while the other film Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobara was below average. His next film Boss was also a failure. He made a strong comeback with the 2014 film Holiday which pole-vaulted to the Rs 100 crore elite club, as the film became the highest grosser of 2014, beating Jai Ho.

Recognitions

Padma Shri (2009), Japanese honour of ‘Katana’ and a sixth degree Black Belt in Kuyukai Gojuryu Karate (2009), Sexiest Man Alive by People (India) magazine (2008)

Awards

• Filmfare Awards: Best Performance in a Negative Role for Ajnabee (2002), Best Performance in a Comic Role for Garam Masala (2006)

• Stardust Awards: Actor of the Year - Garam Masala (2006), Star of the Year - Heyy Babyy & Namaste London (2008), Best Film - Singh Is Kinng (2009), Best Actor - Blue (2010), Best Actor - 8x10 Tasveer (2010), Star of the Year - Housefull & Tees Maar Khan (2011), Best Actor - Desi Boys (2012), Best Actor - Rowdy Rathore & Khiladi 786 (2013), Star of the Year -Rowdy Rathore, Housefull-2 & OMG: Oh My God (2013)

• IIFA Awards: Best Villain for Ajnabee (2002), Best Comedian for Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2005), Special Award from Host Country, Thailand (2008)

TV Shows

Host for Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi (2008, 2009)