Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar was born on September 9, 1967, as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, in Amritsar to Hari Om Bhatia and Aruna Bhatia. Akshay Kumar has a sister, Alka Bhatia. Their father was a military officer. Akshay Kumar is a Bollywood actor-producer and martial artist. From a young age, Akshay Kumar was recognised as a performer, particularly as a dancer. He lived and grew up in Delhi's Chandni Chowk and later moved to Mumbai where he lived in Koliwada. He received his education from Don Bosco School and enrolled in Mumbai's Guru Nanak Khalsa College for higher education, but dropped out after a year and went to Bangkok to learn martial arts, where he also worked as a cook.

Akshay Kumar got married to actress, interior designer and writer Twinkle Khanna and they have two children, Aarav and Nitara. In his career spanning over 25 years, he has showed his acting skills in more than 100 films. Akshay Kumar surely has come a long way from his debut film Saugandh in (1991) which starred Raakhee and Shantipriya. Before Saugandh, he was seen in a minor role in the 1987 Mahesh Bhatt directed Aaj. He appeared as the lead actor in Saugandh (1991) before making his breakthrough with the suspense thriller Khiladi (1992), the first film of the Khiladi series. He starred in a series of Khiladi movies out of which the most notable ones were Khiladi, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Sabse Bada Khiladi, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi, International Khiladi, Khiladi 420, Khiladi 786. He was seen in Jolly LLB 2 in 2017.

After establishing himself as an action hero, his next breakthrough came in the comedy genre in which he proved his mettle. His comedy films like Hera Pheri series, Housefull series, Garam Masala and many more were liked by audiences. In Hera Pheri, Akshay Kumar starred with Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty. He garnered positive reviews for his perfect comic timing. He has also showcased his versatility in films such as Dhadkan, Namastey London, Waqt, Ajnabee, OMG Oh My God!, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and so on. His has also acted in a number of patriotic films which include films like Baby, Sainik, Holiday, Special 26, Airlift, Rustom and Naam Shabana. Akshay Kumar has played a supporting role in Yash Chopra-directed romance, Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor, for which he received his first nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. He received critical acclaim for his roles in the films Sangharsh and Jaanwar.

Khiladi Kumar also made his small screen debut as the host of the successful show Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi and later returned to host the show's second season in 2009. He also hosted the first season of MasterChef India in 2010. Akshay Kumar also co-produced a film with Russell Peters titled Breakaway (dubbed into Hindi as Speedy Singhs) which is reminiscent of his own Patiala House, a cricket-based film.

Akshay Kumar dubbed for the role of Optimus Prime in the Hindi version of Hollywood action blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Akshay Kumar has also been awarded the highest Japanese honour of "Katana" and a sixth degree black belt in kuyukai gojuryu karate. He was one of the 15 international celebrities invited for the Olympics torch-bearer rally to Canada. He also endorse the Canadian Tourism by sharing the duty of Brand Ambassador till the summer of 2012. He also started a 30-bed cancer shelter for policemen in Naigao.

The University of Windsor conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law on Kumar in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. He has also been awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India. In 2011, the Asian Awards honoured Kumar for his outstanding achievement in cinema.

Akshay Kumar is known as a fitness freak. He stays in shape with a combination of kickboxing, basketball, swimming and Parkour as well as working out. Akshay and his wife are disciplinarian. Both sleep early and wake up early. Akshay Kumar never eats anything post 7 pm. Akshay's disciplined lifestyle, good workout routine and balanced diet are his mantra to stay in shape.

The forthcoming films of Akshay Kumar include Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Neeraj Pandey's Crack starring Akshay Kumar was supposed to release on Independence Day 2017, but it looks like it has been shelved since there is no news about it after the release of its first look. He will also produce and act in Pad Man, based on the real-life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a man who took to manufacturing low-cost sanitary napkins in India. The story has been green-lighted by Akshay's wife Twinkle Khanna.

Akshay Kumar will be seen as a villain in Rajinikanth's 2.0, a science-fiction film directed by S Shankar and written by S Shankar and Jeyamohan. The film also features Amy Jackson and is a sequel to the Rajinikanth-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer Robot aka Endhiran. It is produced by Subaskaran Allirajah's Lyca Productions. 2.0 will release on 25 January, 2018, the eve of India's Republic Day 2018.