Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar is an Indian actor, film producer, martial artist known for acting in Bollywood films, music videos. His real name is Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia but changed it to his present name when he entered the film industry. Akshay Kumar was born on 9th September 1967 t...

Akshay Kumar is an Indian actor, film producer, martial artist known for acting in Bollywood films, music videos. His real name is Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia but changed it to his present name when he entered the film industry. Akshay Kumar was born on 9th September 1967 to Hari Om Bhatia and Aruna Bhatia in a Punjabi family. His father was an army officer and an accountant with UNICEF. He has a sister Alka Bhatia. He completed his schooling at Don Bosco High School, Matunga. For higher education, he got enrolled in Guru Nanak Khalsa College. After that Akshay went to Bangkok to learn martial arts and lived in Thailand for several years. He also has a black belt in Taekwondo. After that, he worked as a chef and also in a travel agency and sold Kundan jewellery. Later, he stepped into modelling. He worked as an assistant for photographer Jayesh Sheth. He also worked as a background dancer in various films. He has worked as a stunt actor and has performed many dangerous stunts in his films. Akshay made his acting debut with Sugandh in 1991 and later got his breakthrough with Khiladi in 1992. He has done more than 100 films in his whole career and still continues to do so. He has acted in films such as Main Khiladi Tu Anari, International Khiladi, Hera Pheri, Khiladi 420, Ajnabee, Andaaz, Khakee, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Phir Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiya, Welcome, Garam Masala, Singh is Kinng, De Dana Dan, Housefull, Action Replayy, Housefull 2, Housefull 3, Housefull 4, Special 26. Holiday, Rowdy Rathore, Boss, Brothers, Gabbar Is Back, Jolly LLB 2, Laxmii, Bell Bottom, Atrangi Re, etc. Akshay has also hosted several television reality shows and appeared in many music videos. He was the first Bollywood actor whose film’s domestic net lifetime collection crossed 20 billion rupees by 2013 and 30 billion rupees by 2016. In 2008, the University of Windsor conferred an honorary doctorate to Kumar. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civil honour by the Government of India. In 2004, he was honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Award for his outstanding achievements in Bollywood. In 2005, Kumar was awarded the highest Japanese honour of "Katana" and a sixth-degree black belt in Kuyukai Goju-Ryu karate. In 2009, he founded Hari Om Entertainment production company and Grazing Goat Pictures production company in 2012. He also owns the team Khalsa Warriors in the World Kabaddi League. As of 2015 and 2019, Kumar was on the Forbes list of highest-paid entertainers in the world, ranking 52nd with earnings of 48.5 million dollars, and the only Bollywood actor on the list. In 2020, he was ranked as the highest-paid Bollywood actor by Forbes. Akshay Kumar is also known for his charity. He had donated Rs 5 million to Salman Khan's Being Human Foundation. In 2013, Kumar was the Hindi film industry's highest advanced taxpayer for six consecutive years. He paid Rs 190 million as advance tax payment in that year. Kumar also donated Rs 9 million to drought-hit farmers in Maharashtra in 2015. He has also donated Rs 5 million to aid drought-affected people through the Maharashtra government's Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan. In March 2013, he started a 30-bed cancer shelter for policemen in Naigaon. On 9 April 2017, Kumar and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh promoted a mobile phone app, Bharat Ke Veer, which allows users to donate money to families of people who sacrificed their lives for India. In an event in Delhi, he appealed for people to donate to the Bharat Ke Veer cause, and Rs 129.3 million were collected. In 2021, Kumar donated Rs 1 crore for the construction of a school building in Neeru Village of Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir. Talking about his personal life, Akshay got married to Twinkle Khanna on 17th January 2001. They have a son, Aarav and a daughter Nitara.