A long road traveled; from a waiter in Bangkok, to one of the most successful actors in Bollywood, Akshay Kumar has come a long way. As an instructor in martial artist, Rajiv Bhatia always dreamt of making it big in that field but when a student suggested that with his good looks and a good built, he should take up modelling, the anonymous Rajiv Bhatia began his journey as Akshay Kumar who then slowly but surely worked his way up to becoming one of the most talented stars of the industry. Stunned at the pay package and his success as a model, Akshay took the next obvious step, and entered into films. However unlike most of the other stars in his time, Akshay neither had star parents, nor a godfather to launch him. Although his first few films were unsuccessful at the box office, they helped Akshay get noticed for his dancing abilities and his dare-devilish stunts. His first true hit film was ‘Khiladi’ and although it was a success, the top banners continued to be elusive until ‘Yeh Dillagi’ which not only got him recognition but marked his position as a top league actor. Though ‘Jai Kishen’ and ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ were quite successful at the box office, it was ‘Mohra’ and ‘Sabse Bada Khiladi’ that it catapulted Akshay to fame and established his position as one of the top most heroes of the industry. With a series of ‘Khiladi’ movies including the “Khiladiyon Ke Khiladi’, Akshay became the quintessential “action hero’. But with ‘Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi’, ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ and ‘Aflatoon’, he attempted new genres in order to change his stereotypical image, and he was quite successful at it. Another attempt at a new role with ‘Ajnabee’, where he played the villain, was again well portrayed and well received by audiences and critics alike. ‘Dhadkan’, where he starred opposite Shilpa Shetty reaffirmed the fact that aside from being an action hero, Akshay Kumar was also the perfect romantic lead. In the same year came another memorable performance with the film “Hera Pheri’ which brought to the forefront his strength in comedy and superb timing as he held his ground with the seasoned Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty. Akshay Kumar continued to improve with every film, from “Khakee, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’, “Aitraaz, Waqt’, ‘Awara Pagaal Deewana’, “Garam Masala’ to the recently released “Phir Hera Phiri’ proved that Akshay was a sure-fire hit at the box-office as well. Today he is one of the most sought after actors who commands a strong box-office opening. His forthcoming films include Jaaneman, Saamna, London Namaste and Welcome.
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