Akshay Kumar is one of the biggest superstars in Bollywood, known for performing some dangerous stunts and for his impeccable comedic timing. He is a man who has carved out a vast fortune by sheer discipline, luck, and hard work. The man is a one-hit factory churning out four movies a year with 30 endorsements in a year, from the humble beginning of working as a chef in Bangkok to being one of the richest actors in the world. His journey is the inspiration of millions.
Let’s learn a little bit about his career and how he managed to be one of the unique superstars.
Akshay Kumar is one of the first few actors in Bollywood that started with franchises in the 90s. He was known for his energetic moves and action star personality, making Khiladi stick with him. More than six movies have been made with Khiladi with him, promising crazy and exciting action. He experimented with different genres like Buddy cop, romantic movies, thrillers, and action comedies.
One big reason Akshay stayed popular in the 90s is the songs of his movies. Some of the songs are-
The 2000s broke through the mold of an action star with films like Hera Pheri and Dhadkan.
These two movies allowed him to flex his acting muscles and break the action star mold.
He starred in many comedies through the 2000s like Phir Hera Pheri, Bhagam Bhag, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Singh Is King, and much more. He also experimented with a different role like playing a negative role in Ajnabee, Emotional drama in Waqt, and a psychological thriller 8 x 10 Tasveer.
The 2010s is the era when he started further expanding his roles and experimented with social dramas- like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Padman.
He also played around with Biopics like Airlift, Rustom, and Kesari. The era of comedy and action movies in full force has made it more popular than ever before.
He has played many roles over his career and doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
To say Akshay did some wild stunts in the 90s is a bit of an understatement. Here are just some of the extremely dangerous stunts performed by him-
Undertaker Story: One of the most absolutely dangerous stunts that landed him in the hospital was lifting the Undertaker in the movie Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. This led to him having a slipped disc, and it’s something only Kumar would ever attempt to do.
The Plane Stunt: Before Tom Cruise ever tried to stick to a plane in mid-air, Akshay was already doing it in the early 2000s. In the movie, International Khiladi, he stood up on the plane going through hundreds of kilometers per hour, hovering over 10,000 feet.
The Massive Jump: In the movie 8 x 10 Tasveer, Akshay jumped off about 150 feet into a pool of water. This is an extremely dangerous stunt that most actors would avoid, but this is Akshay Kumar we’re talking about. The man knows no fears.
In Bollywood, where everyone is obsessed with the idea of being healthy, Akshay Kumar is by far the fittest of them all.
His lifestyle is fairly unique and incredibly disciplined. He is known to wake up at 5 am and sleep from 8:30 pm to 9 pm. In an industry that runs 24x7, that is unprecedented, and he never works beyond 8- 10 hours a day. He doesn’t drink coffee, tea, alcohol and only eats healthy carbs.
By living this extremely early morning lifestyle, he manages to have a healthy work-life balance.
The man is a great actor, a wonderful human being, addicted to chasing the heights of stunt work.
