Akshay Kumar can be classified as India’s home grown Bruce Lee’s, just that he can claim to be a better actor than the international action star.

A sworn ‘Dilliwala’, Akshay Kumar (Rajiv Bhatia was his original name) was the top action hero during the 90’s when masala flicks like Khiladi (1992), Mohra (1994) ruled the roost at the Box Office. By the late 90s he was famously given the epithet of ‘Khiladi Kumar’, for acting in various films with the term ‘Khiladi’ in it. This ‘Khialdi Series’ not only endeared him to the masses but also made him a bankable star in the B-town.

Akshay made his debut in 1991 with an immensely forgettable Saugandh and dished out similar fare till he hit jackpot with Khiladi in 1991.

Starring opposite Ayesha jhulka in this campus thriller Akshay made women swoon with his dancing abilities but it were his stunts that gave him a huge fan following.

Indeed, till date Akshay remains the only actor who performs his stunts on screen and this daredevilry is not reckless as he studied martial arts in Bangkok where he worked as a chef.

1994 was the first time when he was signed as lead actor in a romantic film. The film maker was Yash Chopra and the film Yeh Dillagi, where his performance was convincing to say the least. It also established the fact that Akshay is a versatile actor and given proper opportunities he can do justice to a variety of roles.

The year 2000 was breakthrough year for him as Akshay proved his mettle in various genres of films: Priyadarshan’s Hera Pheri (a crazy comedy) and the family drama Dhadkan, a genre Akshay never tried his hand.

His success with them made producers confident of offering him roles that had more to it than just kicking the bad guys around. So he even got an Ajnabee, where he played a negative role and won numerous awards for it.

But by this time his flair for comedy was coming along much better, even better than his flawless stunts. His comic performances in films such as Hera Pheri (2000), Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Garam Masala (2005) Jaan-E-Mann (2006) and Bhool Bhulaiya (2007) sent the crowds back home in splits. In the recent past he did what even the ‘King Khan’ Shah Rukh Khan couldn’t manage: appeasing the ever demanding critics. All the so called critics ate out of Akshay’s hands and declared the films starring him as hits even before they were released.

Akshay Kumar lived in Delhi for some time before moving to Mumbai.He lived in Koliwada which was a Punjabi dominated area. And then moved to Amritsar.He studied at Don Bosco school and then Khalsa College, where he took an interest in sports.

He got married to actress Twinkle Khanna in 2001 and was blessed with his son Aarav on September 15, 2002.