News18 : Sep 09, 2019, 11:34 AM
One of the most versatile actors in Indian cinema, Akshay Kumar plays of an action-hero and a comic star with equal ease. In a career spanning almost three decades, the original Khiladi of Bollywood has starred in over 100 films and has even won several awards. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Rustom (2016), and two Filmfare Awards for Ajnabee (2001) and Garam Masala (2005).
Born on September 9, 1967, the actor is married to Rajesh Khanna's daughter Twinkle Khanna and is a recipient of the Padma Shri, bestowed upon him by the Indian Government in 2011.
On the actor's 52nd birthday, here's looking at a few milestone movies Kumar acted in.
Hera Pheri (2000)
The first installment of the Hera Pheri franchise, it starred Akshay Kumar, Suni Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Tabu and over the years had become a cult classic. The film left to a 2006 sequel, Phir Hera Pheri.
Namastey London (2007)
The romantic comedy starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, was originally based on a true life story of Akshay Kumar's friend. The film earned Kumar a Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination.
OMG – Oh My God! (2012)
The official remake of The Man Who Sued God, the satire is based on a Gujarati stage-play eKanji Virudh Kanji. The film features Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal in the lead roles, along with Mithun Chakraborty in a negative role as a self-proclaimed godman. The movie generated a lot of controversy over the depictions of prominent Hindu gods and Indian spiritual traditions.
Rustom (2016
The crime thriller starred Akshay Kumar and Ileana D'Cruz in lead roles and was loosely based on the real life incident of Naval Officer K. M. Nanavati and businessman Prem Ahuja. Akshay Kumar received the National Film Award for Best Actor at the 64th National Film Awards for his performance in the film.
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017)
The 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, starred Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar on lead roles. The film received three nominations at the 63rd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Narayan singh and Best Actor for Akshay Kumar.
Pad Man (2018)
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, the Akshay Kumar starrer Pad Man received award for Best Film on Other Social Issues. Kumar's performance in the film was critically praised, for which he received a Best Actor nomination at the 64th Filmfare Awards.
Mission Mangal (2019)
The 2019 film loosely based on the life of scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Mission Mangal showed the struggle and the feat of ISRO scientists for the Mars Orbiter Mission, India’s first interplanetary expedition, the film starred an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari, Sharman Joshi, H. G. Dattatreya, Vikram Gokhale and Sonakshi Sinha.