Akshay Kumar

Infobox_actor
name = Akshay Kumar

---

caption = Akshay Kumar on the sets of "Heyy Babyy" (2006)
birthname = Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia
birthdate = birth date and age|1967|09|9
location = Amritsar, Punjab, India
occupation = Film actor
yearsactive = 1991 – present
spouse = Twinkle Khanna (2001 – present)
homepage =
filmfareawards = Best Villain
2002 "Ajnabee"
Best Comedian
2006 "Garam Masala"

Akshay Kumar ( _hi. अक्षय कुमार; born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on September 9, 1967) is an Indian Bollywood film actor. He has appeared in over 80 Hindi language films.

During the 90s, Kumar was primarily described as the action hero of Bollywood,cite web|author=Deviah, Poonam|title=Bollywood's Macho Man|url=http://movies.indiainfo.com/profiles/akshay.html|publisher=Indiainfo.com|accessdate=2007-12-11] starring in hit action films such as "Khiladi" (1992), "Mohra" (1994) and "Sabse Bada Khiladi" (1995), and being particularly known for his "Khiladi Series". However, he was simultaneously recognised for his performances in romantic films like "Yeh Dillagi" (1994) and "Dhadkan" (2000) as well as dramatic films such as "Ek Rishtaa" (2001), showing his versatility to perform a range of roles.

In 2002, he won his first Filmfare Award under the Best Villain category, for his performance in "Ajnabee" (2001). Willing to change his intransigent image, Kumar later ventured mostly into comedy films. His comic performances in films such as "Hera Pheri" (2000), "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" (2004), "Garam Masala" (2005) and "Jaan-E-Mann" (2006) met with critical acclaim. His success further rose in 2007, when he starred in four consecutive commercial hits. Having done so, he has established himself as one of the prominent actors of the Hindi film industry.cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=42&nCat=news|title=The Toppers Of 2007|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2007-03-14]

Early life

Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia was born to a middle class Punjabi family in Amritsar (Punjab). [cite web|author=Verma, Sukanya|title=40 things you didn't know about Akki|date=September 5, 2007|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/sep/05akshay.htm|publisher=Rediff|accessdate=2008-03-14] His father was a government worker. From a very young age, he was recognised as a performer, particularly as a dancer.Kumar was raised in Delhi's Chandni Chowk neighbourhood before moving to Mumbai.cite web|author=Mohammed, Khalid|title=Akshay Kumar is a Punjabi by nature|date=March 22, 2007|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=f8e1ad8a-1b67-4624-a9e8-70fe165e42db&ParentID=832cab11-e5f8-4504-88ad-f12964e87072&MatchID1=4469&TeamID1=2&TeamID2=4&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1110&PrimaryID=4469&Headline=Akshay+Kumar+is+a+Punjabi+by+nature|publisher=Hindustan Times|accessdate=2007-04-14] In Mumbai, he lived in Koliwada, which was another Punjabi dominated area. He studied at Don Bosco School and then Khalsa College, where he took an interest in sports.

He studied martial arts in Bangkok and worked as a chef. He then came back to Mumbai, where he started teaching martial arts. One of his students happened to be a photographer and recommended him to do modelling. The student gave him a modelling assignment for a small company. For his two hours posing in front of the camera, he got Rs. 5,000, compared to his previous salary of Rs. 4,000 in one month. That was one of the main reasons why he chose to be a model. After a couple of months of modelling, Kumar was finally offered a lead role by producer Pramod Chakravarthy for the movie "Deedar".

Career

Kumar made his Bollywood acting debut with the 1991 film "Saugandh", which was unnoticed. His first major hit was the 1992 thriller film "Khiladi". 1993 saw a drop as many of his films failed to do well. However, 1994 proved to be a good year for Kumar as he followed up his hit success with "Khiladi" with the action films "Main Khiladi Tu Anari" and "Mohra" which were among the highest grossing films of the year.cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=200&catName=MTk5NA=|title=Box Office 1994|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14] Later that year, Yash Chopra signed him for the romantic film "Yeh Dillagi" which was also a success. He received appreciation for his performance in this film, where he played a romantic role which was different compared to his action roles. He would consequently receive his first nominations for "Best Actor" award at the Filmfare and Star Screen ceremonies. During the same year, Kumar also had success with films like "Suhaag" and the low budget action film "Elaan". All these achievements, promoted Kumar as one of the most successful actors of that year. [cite web|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|title=Top Actor|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/cpages.php?pageName=top_actors|accessdate=2008-03-14]

In 1995, along with his share of unsuccessful movies, he starred in the third film in his "Khiladi" series "Sabse Bada Khiladi", which was a hit. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=201&catName=MTk5NQ=|title=Box Office 1995|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14] He proved to have success with the "Khiladi" series, as in the next year he starred in the fourth hit film with "Khiladi" in the title, "Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi" opposite Rekha and Raveena Tandon. The film became one of the highest grossing films of the year. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=202&catName=MTk5Ng=|title=Box Office 1996|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14]

In 1997, he made an extended guest appearance in Yash Chopra's hit film "Dil To Pagal Hai", for which he received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award nomination. In the same year, he attempted a comedy role with the fifth film in the Khiladi series, "Mr and Mrs Khiladi". Unlike his previous films with "Khiladi" in the title, the film failed commercially. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=203&catName=MTk5Nw=|title=Box Office 1997|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14] In the same way as this film, his next "Khiladi" releases in the following years went on to fail at the box office. In 1999, Kumar received critical acclaim for his roles in the films "Sangharsh" and "Jaanwar". Whilst the former did not make a profit at the box office, the latter turned out to be a success. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=205&catName=MTk5OQ=|title=Box Office 1999|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14]

In 2000 he starred in the comedy "Hera Pheri" (2000) which was both a critical and commercial success,cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=206&catName=MjAwMA=|title=Box Office 2000|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14] and showcased his ability at doing comedy just as he did action and romantic roles. He also starred in the romantic film "Dhadkan" later that same year which also earned reasonable takings at the box office. In 2001, Kumar played a negative role in the film "Ajnabee". The film won him much acclaim as well as his first Filmfare Award for Best Villain. Kumar also had critical appreciation for his role as a blind man in Aankhen which was a box office success of that year.

Following the success of "Hera Pheri", Kumar starred in a number of comedy films, including "Awara Paagal Deewana" (2002), "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" (2004) and "Garam Masala" (2005). The films succeeded at the box office, and his performance in the latter earned him his second Filmfare Award, for Best Comedian. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=210&catName=MjAwNA=|title=Box Office 2004|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14] [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=211&catName=MjAwNQ=|title=Box Office 2005|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14]

Apart from his action, comedy and romantic roles, Kumar displayed a flair for dramatic roles in films such as "Ek Rishtaa" (2001), "Aankhen" (2002), "Bewafaa" (2005) and "" (2005).

In 2006 he starred in a sequel to "Hera Pheri" titled "Phir Hera Pheri". As was the former, the sequel became a huge success at the box office.cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=212&catName=MjAwNg=|title=Box Office 2006|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14] Later that year he starred alongside Salman Khan in the romantic musical "Jaan-E-Mann". The film was a well anticipated release, and despite receiving positive reviews from critics, did not do as well as expected at the box office. Though the film under-performed, his role as a shy, lovable nerd was praised. [cite web|author=Adarsh, Taran|publisher=indiaFM|title=Jaan-E-Mann Review|url=http://www.indiafm.com/movies/review/12573/index.html|date=October 20, 2006|accessdate=2007-04-14] He ended the year with the comedy "Bhagam Bhag", which was a success.In that same year, he led the "Heat 2006" world tour along with fellow stars Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley. [cite web|title=Akshay Kumar & Preity Zinta in Bollywood New York Shows for Aron Govil Productions|date=March 10, 2006|url=http://www.businesswireindia.com/PressRelease.asp?b2mid=9273|publisher=Business Wire India|accessdate=2008-03-14]

2007 proved to be Kumar's most successful year during his career in the industry, and as described by box office analysts, "probably the best ever recorded by an actor, with four outright hits and no flops." His first release, "Namastey London", was critically and commercially successful, and his performance earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote of his performance in the film, "he's sure to win the hearts of millions of moviegoers with a terrific portrayal in this film." [cite web|author=Adarsh, Taran|url=http://indiafm.com/movies/review/12835/index.html|title=Review of Namastey London|date=March 23, 2007|accessdate=2007-04-05|publisher=indiaFM] His next two releases, "Heyy Babyy" and "Bhool Bhulaiyaa", both received super hit verdicts at the box office as well. [cite web|author=Adarsh, Taran|title=Top 5: 'Dhamaal' average, 'Darling' slumps!|url=http://www.indiafm.com/trade/top5/380.html|date=September 15, 2007|accessdate=2008-03-14|publisher=indiaFM] [cite web|author=Adarsh, Taran|title=Top 5: 'J.W.M.' steady, despite pre-Diwali dull phase|url=http://www.indiafm.com/trade/top5/396.html|date=November 10, 2007|publisher=indiaFM|accessdate=2007-11-10] Kumar's last release of the year, "Welcome", did extremely well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster status and simultaneously becoming his fifth successive hit. [cite web|publisher=indiaFM|author=Adarsh, Taran|title=Midweek: 'Welcome', 'TZP' continue to rock!|url=http://www.indiafm.com/trade/top5/411.html|date=January 1, 2008|accessdate=2008-01-01] All of Kumar's films which released that year did well in the overseas market as well. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/cpages.php?pageName=overseas_earners|title=Overseas Earnings (Figures in Ind Rs)|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-03-14]

Kumar's first film of 2008, "Tashan", marked his comeback to the Yash Raj Films banner after 11 years. Although much anticipated by the public, [cite web|author=Bollywood Hungama News Network|title=The Most Awaited movies of 2008|url=http://www.indiafm.com/features/2008/02/08/3550/index.html|publisher=IndiaFM|accessdate=2008-08-16] the film was a critical and commercial failure. His second film, "Singh Is Kinng", has been declared a blockbuster after breaking first weeks worldwide record of "Om Shanti Om" which was the previous highest figure. [ [http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=357&nCat=news&PHPSESSID=ed838c4a31e018320ad25d1840b67084] ] .

Personal life

During his years in Bollywood, Kumar was romantically linked with several of his co-star actresses like Raveena Tandon, Rekha and Shilpa Shetty. After being engaged twice to actress Twinkle Khanna, the daughter of veteran actors Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, he finally married her on January 14, 2001. Their son named Aarav was born on September 15, 2002.

In 2007, a leading Mumbai tabloid newspaper printed a story saying that Kumar and his wife had fallen out and Kumar had moved out of his home, staying at a hotel instead. [cite web|publisher=glamsham.com|title=Akshay Kumar - Twinkle Khanna retort|url=http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/07/jul/26_akshay_kumar_twinkle_khanna_retort.asp|date=|July 26, 2007|accessdate=2007-07-31] On July 26, 2007 the couple sent a legal notice to the tabloid, declaring that the rumour was false. Kumar said: cquote|The article is a clear representation of careless and irresponsible journalism. The freedom of press comes with responsibilities, which seems to have been put aside to give way to shock value journalism. [cite web|author=IndiaFM News Bureau|publisher=indiaFM|title=Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna have sent a legal notice to the newspaper that had reported baseless stories on their fallout|url=http://www.indiafm.com/news/2007/07/26/9802/|date=July 26, 2007|accessdate=2008-03-14]

Awards and nominations

Filmography

See also

* List of Indian Actors

-! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Filmfare Awards
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References

External links

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Persondata
NAME=Kumar, Akshay
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Akki
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Film actor
DATE OF BIRTH=September 9, 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH=Amritsar, Punjab, India
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=