Akshay Kumar: Biography, Filmography, and Awards
Akshay Kumar (born Akshay Aakash Bhatia Kumar) is an Indo-Canadian film actor and producer. He debuted with a minor role in the 1987 Mahesh Bhatt-directed Indian film Aaj.[1][2] He appeared as the lead actor in Saugandh (1991) before his breakthrough with the suspense thriller Khiladi (1992), the first film of the Khiladi series.[3][4] In the same year, he appeared in the Pramod Chakravorty-produced film Deedar. In 1994, Kumar earned his first nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare Awards for his performance in the Yash Chopra-produced romance Yeh Dillagi and starred in Mohra.[5] The following year he appeared in Sabse Bada Khiladi. Kumar played a supporting role in the Chopra-directed romance Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), for which he received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.[5] However, several other of his releases in the 1990s, including Lahu Ke Do Rang, Insaaf, Daava, Tarazu, Angaaray, Barood, and Zulmi, performed poorly at the box office, leading to a setback in his film career.[6][7][8][9][10]
Career Revival and Success
Kumar’s performance in the Suneel Darshan-directed crime drama Jaanwar (1999) received critical acclaim and marked his comeback.[6][11] In 2000, he starred in the Priyadarshan-directed comedy Hera Pheri and the Dharmesh Darshan-directed romantic drama Dhadkan. The following year, Kumar played a negative role in Ajnabee, which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role.[2][12] In 2004, he starred in the Abbas-Mustan-directed romantic thriller Aitraaz and the David Dhawan-directed romantic comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. His performance in the latter earned him his third nomination for supporting actor at the Filmfare Awards, as well as a nomination for best comic role.[13] That year, he presented the television series Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar[14] and received a nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in the action thriller Khakee. His role in the comedy Garam Masala earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role in 2006.[2][12] In 2007, Kumar starred in four consecutive commercially successful films: the romantic comedy Welcome, the psychological thriller Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and the comedies Heyy Babyy and Namastey London.[15]
Production and Later Career
Kumar earned a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in the comic drama Singh Is Kinng (2008). In the same year, he founded the Hari Om Entertainment production company[16] and hosted the first season of the reality game show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi. The following year, Kumar was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, for his services to the Indian film industry.[17][18] Kumar hosted the first season of MasterChef India in 2010. The following year, he founded another production company, Grazing Goat Pictures,[19] and produced the Indo-Canadian hockey-based film Breakaway, which became the highest-grossing cross-cultural film at the Canadian box office.[20] In the same year, Kumar appeared in Housefull 2 and Rowdy Rathore. The latter two films grossed over ₹100 crore (US$15 million) at the box office.[21] He received another Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award nomination for his portrayal of Lord Krishna in the Umesh Shukla-directed satirical comedy drama OMG – Oh My God! (2012).[22] He then starred in the heist thriller Special 26 (2013) and the action thriller Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (2014), which became his third film to gross over ₹100 crore (US$15 million) at the box office,[23] after which he hosted the reality show Dare 2 Dance. Kumar followed this by playing an Indian security agent in the espionage film Baby.[24] In 2016, Kumar received critical acclaim for his performances in Airlift and Rustom; he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the latter.