By- Md. Mojahid Raza
Mumbai: Suave, dashing and stylish- these words perfectly define Akshay Kumar. The superstar, popularly known as ‘Khiladi Kumar’ or ‘Khiladi of Bollywood’ is one of the most bankable and highly paid actors in the Hindi film industry today. Hailing from a non-film background, Akshay has come a long way through his hard work, professionalism and grit. In a career spanning over 3 decades, the actor has given some remarkable performances in a slew of hit films, spanning across various genres. Action, Thriller, Comedy, Romance- he is the superstar of all seasons. You name it and he has done it. Born as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia in Amritsar, Akshay dons many hats. He is a national award winning actor, producer, martial artist, stuntman and philanthropist.
As a mark of love and respect for the actor on his birthday, eminent sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik created a sand art at Puri’s golden beach which read- “Happy Birthday Akshay Kumar- Actor- Social Messenger.”
As the Khiladi of Bollywood celebrates his 51st birthday today, here is a look at some of his recent releases which won him critical acclaim as well as box office success.
- Airlift:
In this historical drama directed by Raja Krishna Menon, Akshay played Ranjit Katyal, a Kuwait-based businessman of Indian origin who carries out the evacuation of Indians stranded in Kuwait when the country was invaded by Iraq. Also starring Nimrit Kaur, Airlift was a blockbuster and earned a total of Rs 2.31 billion worldwide.
- Rustom:
Rustom was a crime thriller based on the real life incident of Naval Officer K. M. Nanavati and businessman Prem Ahuja. Akshay played Naval officer Rustom Pavri who kills his wife’s lover, leading to a sensational trial and a national obsession over passion versus premeditated murder. The film also starred Ileana D’Cruz and Esha Gupta in key roles. Akshay Kumar was praised for his performance in Rustom which garned him numerous award nominations besides getting him the National Award for best actor. Rustom grossed more than 200 crores at the box office.
- Jolly LLB 2:
Sequel to the 2013 film Jolly LLB, this film was a satirical comedy where Akshay Kumar played Jagdishwar “Jolly” Mishra, a Lucknow based lawyer who works as an assistant to one of the most famous lawyers of the city. The film satirised the notion of the Indian legal system as Akshay’s Jolly fights a case against the ruthless and powerful lawyer Pramod Mathur, played by Annu Kapoor. The film was an instant hit and grossed 1.97 billion worldwide.
- Toilet-Ek Prem Katha:
Directed by Shree Narayan Singh, Toilet Ek Prem Katha was a satirical comedy in support of governmental campaigns to improve sanitation conditions in India, with an emphasis on the eradication of open defecation, especially in rural areas. Also starring Bhumi Pednekar, the film was a commercial success and became Akshay’s highest-grossing film, and his first to enter the 300 crore club.
- Padman:
This R Balki film starring Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte in lead role was based on the short story “The Sanitary Man of Sacred Land” in Twinkle Khanna’s book The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, which is inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist from Tamil Nadu who introduced low-cost sanitary pads. Akshay was praised for his role of Lakshmikant Chauhan who suffers many trials and tribulations in his quest for inventing low cost sanitary pads. The film was a box office success and grossed over Rs 80 Crore at the box office.
- Gold:
This was Akshay second release in 2018 after Padman. In the film, he played the role of Tapan Das, a sportman who was a part of the Hockey team that won an Olympic medal for India for the first time at the Games of the XIV Olympiad, London in 1948. The film entered the 100 crore club in the second week of its release and became Akshay’s 9th film to enter the 100 crore club.
Also Read: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor And Ranveer Singh Attend Twinkle Khanna’s Book Launch
Ms Kalinga