More than 100 films, a career that has run past three decades, and a Padma Shri in 2009: Akshay Kumar is one of the most dependable box-office names in Hindi cinema. Britannica describes him as chiefly known for Bollywood comedies and action films. He was born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on September 9, 1967, in Amritsar.
From martial arts to the screen
His father, Hari Om Bhatia, was an army veteran turned accountant, and the family moved from Delhi to Bombay, where Bhatia finished high school. He left college to study martial arts in Thailand. Back in Bombay he taught martial arts and did some modelling before film work found him. His first credited part was a nonspeaking turn as a martial arts instructor in Aaj (1987). A lead role followed in the action film Saugandh (1991). By then he had taken the screen name Akshay Kumar, borrowed from the lead character in Aaj.
The 1990s belonged to action. Khiladi (1992) was his breakthrough and launched a film series; Main Khiladi Tu Anari came in 1994, the year he also played a conflicted policeman in the blockbuster Mohra. He tried romance with Yeh Dillagi (1994) and Dhadkan (2000). Then Ajnabee (2001) cast him as a philandering husband and murderer, and the role won him his first Filmfare Award, for best villain.
The comedian
Hera Pheri (2000) changed the direction. It was a remake of a Malayalam kidnapping caper, and it made him a comic lead. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and Phir Hera Pheri (2006) kept him there, and Garam Masala (2005) earned his second Filmfare Award, for best actor in a comedic role. His comic roles, Britannica notes, are a big part of his mass appeal. He also hosted three seasons of the reality show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi, in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
In the 2010s he spread across genres. There were three more Housefull sequels, Rowdy Rathore and OMG: Oh My God! in 2012, and the thrillers Holiday and Airlift. His portrayal of a naval officer in the courtroom drama Rustom (2016) won him the National Film Award for best actor in 2017, though the decision drew criticism from people who expected Aamir Khan to win for Dangal. He moved into social-issue films with Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Pad Man, and the latter took the National Film Award for best social film. Not everything has worked. Several 2024 releases, including Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Sarfira and Khel Khel Mein, did not fare well. In 2025 he appeared in Sky Force and Housefull 5.
Bharat Ke Veer
Away from the sets, Kumar is tied to the Bharat Ke Veer initiative. The web portal and mobile app let donors give money to the families of Central Armed Police Force and Central Para Military Force soldiers killed in the line of duty. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated it in April 2017, with Kumar present. The money goes to the soldier’s next of kin, with a cap of 15 lakh rupees per account. By January 2018, Kumar announced at the launch of the initiative’s anthem, the portal had raised Rs 12.93 crore.
The cause is personal for him. “I am an army man’s son,” he has said, “and probably, deep down in my heart, I wanted to follow my father’s footsteps.” In 2019 he dedicated his film Kesari to the initiative, and asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to consider using some of the funds for soldiers wounded in war.
Sources
- Akshay Kumar | Biography, Housefull Movies, Controversies, Personal Life, & Facts
- Rajnath to inaugurate 'Bharat ke Veer' web portal
- 'Bharat ke Veer' portal raises Rs 12.93 crore
- Akshay Kumar starrer 'Kesari' to be dedicated to Bharat Ke Veer
