Mumbai: In an old video that is going viral, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who has been in the film industry for more than three decades, says that he received no acting training and had only one person by his side during his early years in the industry.
In the throwback video, the host asked Akshay if acting required extra training, like martial arts, to which the actor replies in Hindi, “Main apni baat bata sakta hoon, maine toh training nahi lii hai, main toh iss film industry mein raw aaya tha.” (I can speak for myself. I have not taken any training; I was raw when I entered the film industry).
“None from my family belong to this industry; I’m just on my own; I just have one man to thank for being with me — Mr Pramod Chakravorty and his entire family; I’ve had nobody else, that’s all,” Akshay concluded.
Pramod Chakravorty was a prolific, visionary filmmaker known for 1960s and 1970s classics like Love in Tokyo, Jugnu, Azaad, etc. In the early nineties, when Akshay met him, he recognised the young actor’s potential and signed him for the film Deedar opposite Karisma Kapoor.
A roller-coaster ride to fame
Before his breakthrough in acting, Akshay Kumar’s journey was marked by perseverance. From Chandni Chowk in Delhi (where he lived) to Mumbai, his life negotiated several courses.
A black belt in taekwondo, he went to Bangkok, Thailand, to train in Martial Arts, where he also worked as a chef and waiter. Upon return to India, he started working at a travel agency in Kolkata. He again left India to briefly work in Dhaka (Bangladesh) as a hotel chef and then returned to Delhi once again, where he sold Kundan jewellery. Finally, he moved back to Mumbai, where his parents lived after leaving Delhi. Akshay started teaching martial arts in the City of Dreams. Here, he started seriously pursuing his ambition to become an actor.
Akshay worked as a background dancer in numerous films and also served as an assistant to renowned photographer Jayesh Sheth, showcasing his determination to succeed in the industry.
How destiny shaped his career trajectory
However, destiny had other plans for Akshay. A missed flight to Bangalore, where he was to shoot an ad, led him to visit a film studio with his portfolio. On that very evening, Pramod Chakravorty signed Akshay for Deedar, released in 1992, highlighting the role of fate in shaping his career trajectory.
Before Pramod Chakravorty discovered the actor’s true talent, Akshay had already made his big screen debut in a cameo role of a martial arts instructor in Mahesh Bhatt’s 1987 film Aaj.
He then went on to play the lead actor in the 1991 film Saugandh opposite Raakhee and Shantipriya.
Later, Akshay acted in Abbas Mustan’s directorial Khiladi, a turning point in his acting career that earned him the ‘Khiladi’ title. This moniker became synonymous with his action-packed roles. Khiladi was released in June 1992, followed by Deedar two months later.
In the coming years, Akshay Kumar turned to the comedy genre. He became a benchmark as his partnership with Malayalam director Priyadarshan acclaimed him a massive spree of some iconic films, including Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and Garam Masala, still remembered for their comic timing and entertainment value. The rest is now history.
On the work front, the ‘Bhagam Bhag’ actor was last seen in Mudassar Aziz’s directorial ‘Khel Khel Mein’. The comedy-drama featured Akshay Kumar, Ammy Virk, Taapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Aditya Seal and Pragya Jaiswal in lead roles.
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–IANS and Media Reports
