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Akshay Kumar

Khiladi Kumar: From martial arts to box-office hits.

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Akshay Kumar is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema, born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on 9 September 1967.[1] India's fourth-highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri, was conferred upon him by the Government of India in 2009.[2]

Key facts and history

Kumar was born into a Punjabi Hindu family in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi, and his father was an Indian Army officer.[3] After returning to Bombay, he started teaching martial arts and was recommended to modelling by the father of one of his students.[4] In 2000, he starred in the Priyadarshan-directed comedy Hera Pheri, which became a commercial success and proved a turning point in his career.[5] Kumar won his first Filmfare Award for Best Villain for his role in Ajnabee (2001).[6]

In 2007, he had four consecutive box-office hits and was described by analysts as having "probably the best ever recorded by an actor"[7] His childhood was spent in Delhi's Chandni Chowk area, after which his family relocated to Mumbai following his father's departure from the Army to take up an accounting position with UNICEF.[8] He attended Don Bosco High School in Matunga for his formal education, while also training in Karate during the same period.[9] Although he registered at Guru Nanak Khalsa College, he left the institution because he lacked interest in academic pursuits.[10]

For a period of five years, he resided in Bangkok where he practiced Thai Boxing and took on jobs as both a chef and a waiter.[10] The first time Kumar appeared as a leading man was in the 1991 film Saugandh.[11] The 1992 suspense thriller Khiladi, directed by Abbas-Mustan, is commonly regarded as the film that gave him his major career breakthrough.[11] His self-produced socially conscious films Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) and Pad Man (2018) brought him additional recognition.[12]

What the cited sources add

A Rediff.com article notes that Kumar was born in Amritsar and raised in Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk neighbourhood before shifting to Koliwada in Mumbai.[13] The same source states that while in Bangkok, Kumar worked in a restaurant called Metro Guest House to make ends meet.[13] A 2005 India Today review by Anupama Chopra reports that at the end of the film Bewafaa, Kumar's character advises the audience that the notion of first love being the one true love is outdated.[14] The Rediff.com article also mentions that Kumar has a four-year-old son named Araav and endorses Thums Up.[13]

It further states that Kumar hosted a martial arts documentary titled 'Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar' for National Geographic Channel.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Britannica Book of the Year 2010", Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2010, p. 95 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "10 years, 37 films: Akshay Kumar's ridiculously high success rate in graphs", Hindustan Times, 12 August 2017; "Akshay Kumar Has A Historic Year", Hindustan Times, 8 January 2019; Greenburg, "The World's Highest-Paid Actors 2018", Forbes, 2016; Berg, "The Highest-Paid Actors 2019: Dwayne Johnson, Bradley Cooper and Chris Hemsworth", Forbes; Basu, "Akshay Kumar Is The Only Indian On Forbes 2020 List Of 100 Highest-Paid Celebs, Just Like Last Year", NDTV.com, 5 June 2020; Basu, "Akshay Kumar Is The Only Bollywood Celeb On Forbes List Of 10 en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: S. Irfan, "Guftagoo with Akshay Kumar", Guftagoo, 3 June 2014; S. Irfan, "Guftagoo with Akshay Kumar", Guftagoo, 3 June 2014; S. Irfan, "Guftagoo with Akshay Kumar", Guftagoo, 3 June 2014; Mohammad, "Akshay Kumar is a Punjabi by nature", Hindustan Times, 22 March 2007; Verma, Sukanya, "40 things you didn't know about Akki", Rediff.com, 5 September 2007; "Lesser known facts about Akshay Kumar", Zee News, 8 September 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: S. Irfan, "Guftagoo with Akshay Kumar", Guftagoo, 3 June 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Siddique's not teaming up with Priyadarshan for Hera Pheri 3", The Times of India, 17 January 2013; "Box Office 2000", Box Office India; Jha, "Akshay Kumar teams up with Priyadarshan again", Bollywood Hungama, 23 May 2014; Kumar Choudhury, Arnab, "Hera Pheri", Hindustan Times, 2000 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tanwar, "The Rediff Review: Ajnabee", Rediff.com; Verma, Sukanya, "40 things you didn't know about Akki", Rediff.com, 5 September 2007; "IIFA 2002"; "The Winners – 2001 – The 51st Filmfare Awards", The Times of India (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Toppers of 2007", Box Office India; "I am kind to everyone, but trust no one: Akshay Kumar", The Times of India, 29 August 2011; Mishra, "Akshay Kumar crowned 2007 King of Bollywood", CNN-IBN, 2 January 2008; Singh, "Khiladi is King", The Hindu, 15 August 2008; "Akshay- the undisputed king of Bollywood, bags Rs 72 crore deal", Zee News, 22 August 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: S. Irfan, "Guftagoo with Akshay Kumar", Guftagoo, 3 June 2014; Mohammad, "Akshay Kumar is a Punjabi by nature", Hindustan Times, 22 March 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Notable Alumni Don Bosco High School", donboscomatunga.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mohammad, "Akshay Kumar is a Punjabi by nature", Hindustan Times, 22 March 2007; Gupta, "I've got more than what I had ever dreamt of: Akshay Kumar", The Times of India, 13 August 2013; "Akshay, Twinkle at pre-Karva Chauth bash", NDTV; "Unplugged: Akshay Kumar", The Times of India, 21 September 2009; AS, "Akshay obtained a black belt in Taekwondo", The Times of India, 8 September 2012; "Lesser known facts about Akshay Kumar", Zee News, 8 September 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Verma, "The Ten Worst Films of Akshay Kumar (Dancer)", Rediff.com, 28 November 2011; "Movie review: Khiladi 786 is a leave-your-brains-at-home kinda comedy", Firstpost, 8 December 2012; "Akshay Kumar- The Khiladi superstar", Zee News; "Engrossing Thriller", The Indian Express, 10 July 1992; "Bombay Bond – Akshay Kumar to play lead in Raj Sippy's film Mr Bond", India Today, 30 September 1991 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Akshay Kumar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide 2023", Bollywood Hungama (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Verma, Sukanya, "40 things you didn't know about Akki", Rediff.com, 5 September 2007. facts only, no text reused. rediff.com
  14. Chopra, "Old refashioned", India Today, 14 March 2005. facts only, no text reused. indiatoday.in

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Akshay Kumar (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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