Akshay Kumar is an Indian-born Canadian actor and producer who works in Hindi-language films. He made his debut with a minor role in the 1987 Mahesh Bhatt directed Indian film Aaj. He appeared as the lead actor in Saugandh (1991) before making his breakthrough with the suspense thriller Khiladi (1992), the first film of the Khiladi series. In the same year, he appeared in the Pramod Chakravorty-produced film Deedar. In 1994, Kumar earned his first nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare Awards for his performance in the Yash Chopra-produced romance Yeh Dillagi and starred in Mohra. The following year he appeared in Sabse Bada Khiladi. Kumar played a supporting role in the Chopra-directed romance Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), for which he received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. However, several other of his releases in the 1990s, including Lahu Ke Do Rang, Insaaf, Daava, Tarazu, Angaaray, Barood and Zulmi performed poorly at the box office leading to a setback in his film career.
Kumar’s performance in the Suneel Darshan-directed crime drama Jaanwar (1999) received critical acclaim and marked his comeback. In 2000, he starred in the Priyadarshan-directed comedy Hera Pheri and the Dharmesh Darshan-directed romantic drama Dhadkan. The following year Kumar played a negative role in Ajnabee, which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. In 2004, he starred in the Abbas-Mustan-directed romantic thriller Aitraaz and the David Dhawan-directed romantic comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. His performance in the latter earned him his third nomination for supporting actor at the Filmfare Awards as well as a nomination for best comic role. That year, he presented the television series Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar and received a nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in the action thriller Khakee. His role in the comedy Garam Masala earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role in 2006. In 2007, Kumar starred in four consecutive commercially successful films; the romantic comedy Welcome, the psychological thriller Bhool Bhulaiyaa and the comedies Heyy Babyy and Namastey London.
Kumar earned a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in the comic drama Singh Is Kinng (2008). In the same year, he founded the Hari Om Entertainment production company, and hosted the first season of the reality game show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi. The following year Kumar was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, for his services to the Indian film industry. Kumar hosted the first season of MasterChef India in 2010. The following year he founded another production company, Grazing Goat Pictures, and produced the Indo-Canadian hockey-based film Breakaway, which became the highest grossing cross-cultural film at the Canadian box office. In the same year, Kumar appeared in Housefull 2 and Rowdy Rathore. The latter two films grossed over ₹100 crore (US$14 million) at the box office. He received another Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award nomination for his portrayal of Lord Krishna in the Umesh Shukla-directed satirical comedy drama OMG – Oh My God! (2012). He then starred in the heist thriller Special 26 (2013) and the action thriller Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (2014), which became his third film to gross over ₹100 crore (US$14 million) at the box office, after which he hosted the reality show Dare 2 Dance. Kumar followed this by playing an Indian security agent in the espionage film Baby. In 2016, Kumar received critical acclaim for his performances in Airlift and Rustom; he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the latter. In 2018, he made his debut in Tamil cinema by appearing as the main antagonist of 2.0 starring Rajinikanth.
Filmography
Kumar on the set of Heyy Babyy, February 2007
Kumar attending a press conference for Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, October 2013
Kumar during the premiere of his film Entertainment in New Delhi, August 2014
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Saugandh | Shiva Kirplani | Debut Film | |
| Dancer | Raju | |||
| 1992 | Khiladi | Raj Malhotra | ||
| Mr. Bond | Mr. Bond | |||
| Deedar | Anand Malhotra | |||
| 1993 | Ashaant | Vijay | Simultaneously shot in Kannada titled Vishnu Vijaya | |
| Dil Ki Baazi | Vijay | |||
| Kayda Kanoon | Dawood | |||
| Waqt Hamara Hai | Vikas Sabkuchwala | |||
| Sainik | Suraj Dutt | |||
| 1994 | Elaan | Vishal Chaudhary | ||
| Yeh Dillagi | Vijayendra “Vijay” Saigal | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Actor | ||
| Jai Kishen | Jai / Kishen | Dual Role | ||
| Mohra | Amar Saxena | |||
| Main Khiladi Tu Anari | Karan Joglekar | |||
| Ikke Pe Ikka | Rajiv | |||
| Amaanat | Amar | |||
| Suhaag | Raj Sinha | |||
| Zakhmi Dil | Jaidev Anand | |||
| Zaalim | Ravi | |||
| Hum Hain Bemisaal | Vijay Sinha | |||
| 1995 | Paandav | Inspector Vijay Kumar | ||
| Maidan-E-Jung | Karan | |||
| Nazar Ke Samne | Jai Kumar | |||
| Sabse Bada Khiladi | Vijay Kumar / Lallu | Dual Role | ||
| 1996 | Tu Chor Main Sipahi | Amar Verma | ||
| Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi | Akshay Malhotra | |||
| Sapoot | Prem | |||
| 1997 | Lahoo Ke Do Rang | Sikandar Davai | ||
| Insaaf: The Final Justice | Vikram | |||
| Daava | Arjun | |||
| Tarazu | Ram Yadav | |||
| Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi | Raja | |||
| Dil To Pagal Hai | Ajay Sahni | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor | ||
| Aflatoon | Rocky / Raja | Dual Role | ||
| 1998 | Keemat – They Are Back | Dev | ||
| Angaaray | Amar | |||
| Barood | Jai Sharma | |||
| 1999 | Sangharsh | Aman Verma | ||
| Aarzoo | Vijay Khanna | |||
| International Khiladi | Devraj | |||
| Zulmi | Raj | |||
| Jaanwar | Baadshah / Babu Lohaar | |||
| 2000 | Hera Pheri | Raju | ||
| Dhadkan | Ram Verma | |||
| Khiladi 420 | Dev Kumar Malhotra / Anand Kumar Malhotra | Dual Role | ||
| 2001 | Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love | Ajay Kapoor | ||
| Ajnabee | Vikram Bajaj | Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role | ||
| 2002 | Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya | Raj Malhotra | ||
| Aankhen | Vishwas Prajapati | |||
| Awara Paagal Deewana | Guru Gulab Khatri | |||
| Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani | Atul | |||
| 2003 | Talaash: The Hunt Begins… | Arjun | ||
| Andaaz | Raj Malhotra | |||
| 2004 | Khakee | Shekhar Verma | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Police Force: An Inside Story | Vijay Singh | |||
| Aan: Men at Work | Hari Om Pattnaik | |||
| Mujhse Shaadi Karogi | Arun Khanna / Sunny | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor |
||
| Hatya: The Murder | Ravi Lal | |||
| Aitraaz | Raj Malhotra | |||
| Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin | Ajay Khanna | |||
| Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo | Rajeev Singh | |||
| 2005 | Insan | Amjad Khan | ||
| Bewafaa | Raja | |||
| Waqt: The Race Against Time | Aditya Thakur | |||
| Garam Masala | Makrand “Mac” Godbhole | Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role | ||
| Deewane Huye Paagal | Rocky Hiranandani | |||
| Dosti: Friends Forever | Raj | |||
| 2006 | Family | Shekhar Bhatia | ||
| Mere Jeevan Saathi | Vicky | |||
| Humko Deewana Kar Gaye | Aditya Malhotra | |||
| Phir Hera Pheri | Raju | |||
| Jaan-E-Mann | Agastya Rao | |||
| Bhagam Bhag | Bunty | |||
| 2007 | Namastey London | Arjun Singh | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Actor | |
| Heyy Babyy | Aarush Mehra | |||
| Bhool Bhulaiyaa | Aditya Shrivastava | |||
| Om Shanti Om | Himself | Special Appearance | ||
| Welcome | Rajiv Saini | |||
| 2008 | Tashan | Bachchan Pandey | ||
| Singh Is Kinng | Happy Singh | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Actor | ||
| Jumbo | Jumbo | Voice Only | ||
| 2009 | Chandni Chowk to China | Sidhu Sharma | ||
| 8 x 10 Tasveer | Jai Puri / Jeet Puri | Dual Role | ||
| Kambakkht Ishq | Viraj Shergill | |||
| Blue | Aarav Malhotra | |||
| De Dana Dan | Nitin Bankar | |||
| 2010 | Housefull | Aarush | ||
| Khatta Meetha | Sachin Tichkule | |||
| Action Replayy | Kishen Kumar | |||
| Tees Maar Khan | Tabrez Mirza Khan / Tees Maar Khan | |||
| 2011 | Patiala House | Parghat Singh ‘Gattu’ Kahlon / Kali | ||
| Thank You | Kishen | |||
| Desi Boyz | Jignesh Patel / Jerry / Rocco | |||
| 2012 | Housefull 2 | Sunny | ||
| Rowdy Rathore | Vikram Rathore / Shiva | Dual Role | ||
| Joker | Rajkumar / Agastya | |||
| OMG – Oh My God! | Krishna Vasudev Yadav | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor | ||
| Khiladi 786 | Bahattar Singh / Tehattar Singh | |||
| 2013 | Bhaji in Problem | Akshay Kumar | Producer, Special Appearance Punjabi language film |
|
| Special 26 | Ajay Singh | |||
| 72 Miles – Ek Pravas | Producer Marathi language film |
|||
| Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara! | Shoaib Khan | |||
| Boss | Suryakant Shastri / Boss | |||
| 2014 | Holiday | Viraat Bakshi | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Actor | |
| Antar | Producer Marathi language film |
|||
| Entertainment | Akhil Lokhande | |||
| The Shaukeens | Himself | |||
| 2015 | Baby | Ajay Singh Rajput | ||
| Gabbar Is Back | Gabbar / Aditya | |||
| Brothers | David Fernandes | |||
| Singh is Bling | Raftaar singh | |||
| 2016 | Airlift | Ranjit Katyal | ||
| Housefull 3 | Sandy / Sundi | |||
| Dishoom | Sameer Gazi | Special Appearance | ||
| Rustom | Rustom Pavri | National Film Award for Best Actor | ||
| 2017 | Jolly LLB 2 | Jagadishwar “Jolly” Mishra | ||
| Naam Shabana | Ajay | Cameo Appearance | ||
| Toilet: Ek Prem Katha | Keshav Sharma | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Actor | ||
| 2018 | Pad Man | Lakshmikant Chauhan | Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Actor National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues |
|
| Gold | Tapan Das | |||
| 2.0 | Pakshi Rajan | Tamil language film | ||
| Simmba | DCP Veer Sooryavanshi | Special Appearance | ||
| 2019 | Kesari | Havildar Ishar Singh | Nominated – Filmfare Award For Best Actor | |
| Blank | Special Appearance in the song “Ali Ali” | |||
| Mission Mangal | Rakesh Dhawan | |||
| Housefull 4 | Rajkumar Bala Dev Singh / Harry | |||
| Good Newwz | Varun Batra | |||
| 2020 | Laxmii | Aasif Ahmed | Released on Disney+Hotstar | |
| 2021 | Sooryavanshi |
Veer Sooryavanshi | Releasing 30 April | |
| Bell Bottom |
TBA | Releasing 28 May | ||
| Atrangi Re |
TBA | Post-production | ||
| Prithviraj |
Prithviraj Chauhan | Post-production | ||
| 2022 | Bachchan Pandey |
Bachchan Pandey | Filming | |
| Ram Setu |
TBA | Filming |
Television
| Title | Year | Channel | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar | 2004 | National Geographic Channel | Host | |
| Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi | 2008–9, 2011 | Colors | Host for Season 1, 2 and 4 | |
| MasterChef India | 2010–11 | Star Plus | Host for Season 1 Special Appearance in Season 2 Final |
|
| Qubool Hai | 2014 | Zee TV | Viraat Bakshi (Special Appearance) | |
| Jamai Raja | 2014–2017 | Zee TV | Producer | |
| Dare 2 Dance | 2014 | Life OK | Host | |
| The Great Indian Laughter Challenge | 2017 | Star Plus | Judge | |
| Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 9 | 2019 | Colors TV | Guest in Grand Finale | |
| Into the Wild with Bear Grylls | 2020 | Discovery Channel | Celebrity Guest |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Role | Singer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Filhall | Doctor | B Praak |
| 2021 | Filhall 2 | Doctor | B Praak |
Voice acting
| Year | Film | Role | Voice dub for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | Optimus Prime | Peter Cullen |