Debuting in 1991’s Saugandh, Akshay Kumar has built his legacy as one of Bollywood’s most reliable leading men. Kumar also gets trolled at times for occasional streaks of commercial flops but his tendency to regularly work across multiple genres helps in delivering some memorable performances too. He might be the only Bollywood hero in today’s times who ends up starring in almost five movies every year!
Khiladi Kumar: Legacy as an Action Star
Akshay Kumar is synonymous with the word Khiladi. Even though the character arcs have changed over the years, the sobriquet Khiladi has endured in several (often unrelated) action films featuring him in the lead, starting with the 1992 hit Khiladi and being followed by spiritual sequels like International Khiladi, Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi and many more.
What is notable about the Khiladi movies is that they showcased Kumar’s emphasis on practical stunts. Instead of relying on stunt doubles, the actor was more than ready to perform his own action scenes (a rarity for Bollywood heroes in general). This physical prowess perhaps stems from his martial arts background. Before his mainstream success, Kumar even spent five years in Bangkok to master Thai Boxing.
The Slapstick Comedy Era
Just because Kumar started with the action genre doesn’t mean he wasn’t funny. In fact with cult favourites like Hera Pheri, Bhagam Bhag, Welcome, and Singh Is Kingg, Kumar put his comic timing on full display. All of the aforementioned comedies relied on Kumar’s over-the-top nature, be it in the form of slapstick mannerisms or blaring loud dialogue delivery.
Equally important in these comedies were the talented supporting actors pitted alongside him. Prominent cases in point include Paresh Rawal as Baburao in the Hera Pheri franchise and Nana Patekar as the eccentric gangster Uday Shetty in Welcome. Such standout characters from these movies only added further credibility to Akshay Kumar as a team player. While Kumar did have meaty parts for himself, he doesn’t seem to carry much of an ego to prevent the supporting actors from overshadowing him.
The Social Message Phase
Following his successful streak of family-friendly comedies in the 2000s, Kumar entered the 2010s with an affinity for social message dramas. Even if he flirted with the action genre during this time (Holiday, Baby), Kumar’s patriotic leading man carried a strong sense of moral responsibility for the nation.
At the same time, Kumar took delightful turns in playing real-life heroes like the social activist Laxmikant Chauhan in Pad Man , a character inspired by entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham who created low-cost sanitary pads for rural women. Another example is his dramatically intense turn in Kesari as Havildar Ishar Singh, a valiant Sikh war hero from British-ruled India of 1897.
Why Special 26 is Akshay Kumar’s best movie?
Just when Kumar’s roles seemed to get formulaic or unmemorable, he proved everyone wrong with the heist thriller Special 26 . With director Neeraj Pandey recreating Delhi of the 1980s, Special 26 was a career-defining movie that proved Kumar’s intensity is only getting better with age. He shines as a mild-mannered trickster who robs corrupt politicians of their black money, a surprisingly understated performance by the otherwise energetic actor. And yet again, Kumar is accompanied by some heavily praiseworthy supporting actors, Anupam Kher as his trusted accomplice and Manoj Bajpayee as a police official in pursuit. Special 26 was a return to form for Kumar and has continued to age well a decade later.
Where can you stream Akshay Kumar’s filmography?
Most of Akshay Kumar’s best movies can be streamed on leading OTT platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar and many more.
