What is the real name of Akshay Kumar? How a 10-second debut changed actor’s name
Akshay Kumar dropped out of High school and was sent to Thailand where he learned martial arts.
New Delhi: There wouldn’t be one person in this country who wouldn’t recognize Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar. But do you know that Akshay Kumar isn’t his real name?
It is no coincidence that all famous and successful people in the entertainment industry have an equally fitting name. As aspiring actors leave no stone untouched when it comes to hitting the jackpot of fame, even if this means changing their name.
Akshay Kumar’s real name
Akshay Kumar was actually Rajiv Hari OM Bhatia. Rajiv Bhatia alias Akshay Kumar was born in Punjab’s Amritsar to an army officer.
To know why this superstar of Bollywood changed his name from Rajiv to Akshay, read till the end.
Akshay Kumar’s first love
Akshay Kumar’s first love wasn’t acting but sports. His family shifted from Amritsar to Delhi, then to Bombay. Akshay Kumar dropped out of High school and was sent to Thailand where he learned martial arts.
From a waiter to a model
As a young student of martial arts in Bangkok, Akshay Kumar worked as a waiter and a chef to meet his ends. Upon his return to Bombay, he became a teacher of Martial arts.
Everything changed for Akshay Kumar, when one of his student’s father, a model coordinator, suggested that he takes up modeling.
Akshay Kumar’s first modeling gig was for a furniture showroom. At this time, he also worked as a backup dancer in various Hindi movies.
Acting career
One fateful day, Akshay Kumar had to fly to Bangalore to shoot for an ad. However, he missed his flight. Utterly disappointed, he decided not to waste his day and headed to a film studio with his portfolio. And guess what? He got signed for his first movie Deedar in the lead role.
Why did Akshay Kumar change his name?
Before bagging his first film Deedar, Akshay Kumar used to play small roles in films. His first film was Mahesh Bhatt’s Aaj where he played the role of a Martial Arts trainer named Akshay.
Although the role was only 10 seconds long, Rajiv Om Bhatia loved the name Akshay so much, he officially changed it to his real name.