Akshay Kumar takes Kylie Minogue to Indian wedding
Australian pop star Kylie Minogue got a glimpse of Indian culture on her very first day in India, thanks to Bollywood star Akshay Kumar .
Kylie is in Mumbai to shoot a song and a few scenes for Bollywood movie Blue , co-starring Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif , Sanjay Dutt , Lara Dutta and Zayed Khan .
On the day she arrived, Kylie was invited over to lunch by Akshay and his wife Twinkle Khanna . While chatting about Indian culture, Kylie expressed her desire to see an Indian wedding, with all its traditional rituals. By a stroke of coincidence, its wedding season in the city and a sister of Akshay’s close friend was getting married on the same day.
Then what? Intent on fulfilling Kylie’s wish there and then, Akshay asked her to come with him and wife Twinkle to the wedding, and Kylie agreed. Clad in an eye-catching blue dress, she was spotted going to the wedding with the duo.
Reports say Kylie enjoyed being at the wedding.
Over the course of next few days, Kylie will be rehearsing her dance steps and shoot for ‘Blue’ under the direction of Anthony D'Souza .
Kylie Minogue to shoot with Akshay in Mumbai
Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue is coming to Mumbai to shoot a song with superstar Akshay Kumar .
The gorgeous singer and songwriter has sung two songs in the upcoming Bollywood film Blue , starring Akshay, Sanjay Dutt , Lara Dutta , Katrina Kaif and Zayed Khan . While the first track is a solo number by Kylie, the second is a duet sung along with Sonu Nigam . It’s a composition by Oscar winner A R Rahman .
Kylie is now flying to Mumbai and will shoot the video of the duet with Akshay over the course of eight days. Preparations are in full swing and a lavish set is learnt to have been put in place for the special song that will have Kylie and Akshay shaking to dance steps choreographed by Farah Khan . Akshay has already been busy rehearsing his steps.
The pop diva is learnt to have charged a staggering fee for her songs in ‘Blue’. She agreed to sing only after hearing the tunes composed by A R Rahman. A part of the duet was recorded in Mumbai. Kylie recorded her portion of the song at her London studio.
Akshay has become the first Bollywood star to shake his leg with international stars. He did bhangra with Snoop Dogg in Singh Is Kinng . He rubs his shoulders with Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards in Kambakkth Ishq . And now, Kylie!
Some guys have all the freakin’ luck!
Akshay Kumar demands 45 crore per film
Akshay Kumar who is riding high in the industry has made news for his whopping price demand for his next film. Akshay has refused to do a film for his Mohra director Rajiv Rai unless he pays him his dues of a massive 45 crore.
Akshay has ruined Rajiv Rai’s plans of making a comeback in the industry with his friend Akshay Kumar. Now the film has been put on hold because of Akshay’s demands for 45 crore.
Akshay had initially given the film a nod and Rajiv Rai had moved from his Los Angeles home to Mumbai for the proceedings. Rajiv had also registered three titles Do or Die, To Do or Die and Heat. But when Akshaty spoke to the producer regarding the money details Rai was shocked to see Akshay demanding a percentage of the profit along with few other rights related to the film. This totaled up to nearly 45 crore. Given this the total budget of the film shot up to Rs 80 – 90 crore which the producer knew he would never recover. So Rai will not go ahead and make his dealilngs with Akshay and is now planning on making a film with Aamir Khan which will be a period film in English scripted by a Hollywood director
Myself - Akshay Kumar
Hi, I´m Akhay Kumar. I´m six foot one and weigh 80 kilos, though at times I wish I were two inches taller.
I was born in old Dehli. When I was a child we used to stay in Chandni Chowk, on a street called Parothewali Galli, explains why I can´t resist parothas (comment of the writer: parothas is a sort of Indian bread) even today!
My father worked for UNICEF. Having been a sportsman himself – he was a wrestler in his younger days – he always encouraged me to participate in sports.He used to tell me that if I wasn´t brilliant in studies it was okay, as long as I was selected vice-captain of my school volleyball team.
He used to accompany me to every match. None of the other student´s parents came but Dad used to take half day off from work and come for every match. In between sets, he would give the players water to drink and even wipe the perspiration from my forchead with a towel!
Now that I´m an actor, he is my biggest fan. He has watched every film of mine, even the flop ones, many times over. He saw "Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi" 13 times! B ut more than that, I am a big fan of his. I admire him and would like to be just like him. He is patience personified, cool even in the worst of situations. Altough we were not financially well-off earlier, he made us feel very secure. He never allowed us to feel as if we were lacking in anything.
Saturday was his day off, so every Saturday he took us all to watch a film at rupam cinema.It was our regular cinema and the management always kept tickets for the Saturday evening show for us.
I have always been very attached to my mother. Even today, whenever she is out of town, I fall ill. When I go for outdoor schedules, I fall ill.
My sister is closest to me. She is the one who knows all my secrets. I have never cried as much as I did the day she got married. Today although she stays in Mumbai, I still miss her a lot and makes sure she lives with us atleast for a few days every month.
She has been my worst critic. And I make it a point to show her all my films because, she would pointblank tell me if the film is good or bad. She can smell a bad film from a mile. If she listen to just one song of a film, she can tell how good the film will be.
Sometimes I narrate a script to her before signing a film. There were times hen she and my family did not like a script I had narrated but when I went ahead and did the film, thinking I knew it all. But in the end, they were right.
Since childhood, my sister has been a very talented painter. In fact, for my bedroom in the new house she has painted ten-foot long oil painting.
My strong point, on the other hand, has always been sports. I have been connected with the word "khiladi" ever since my schooldays. I used to play volleyball and cricket. There was also a game called sqareball which was played only in our school, Don Bosco´s. No other school knew it. It´s a very rough game in which you hit the opponent with a football and try to knock him down. Sometimes I remember, boys used to fall flat on their faces and injure themselves.
Akshay Baby
In the school, we had a small gang called the "bloody 10". There was Thomas, Ramson, Charles, Amit, Jignesh, Rohit Shetty, Monty and me. They have all gone their separate ways.
Amit is a homeopath somewhere outside Mumbai. Ramson, I have heard, has become a lawyer. Charles is into politics. Jignesh is into rice business so we tease him "baniya".
When I meet them today, they say, "Kamaal kiya yaar (comment of the writer: well done, friend) we never thought you would become a film star!" I tell them even I never imagined it! It´s just a coincidence.
In my childhood my parents had got my `kundali´ made many times, but no astrologer had ever predicted that I would become a star.
Another friend of mine from school, I remember, was Ashok Shandilya, who is now one of India´s best snooker players.
He used to sit with me in class. I still remember once our whole group was angry with him so we put a laxative in his "paan". He had a very "loose" day after that!
Unfortunatley, I haven´t been able to get in touch with him after school. I hope he reads this and calls me up.
Through a friend in school that I first came to know about martial arts.
I was very thin at the time, weighing barely 60 kilos. Watching my friend become tougher day by day, thanks karate, I began to feel insecure and so I asked him to take me along.
Later I got so involved in it that I continued to go, long after he lost interest.
My father had promised me, that if I going to get a first clas in my board exams he would send me to Bangkok to study martial arts. I scored 63 percent so he paid for me flight ticket, which, at that time, cost hardly Rs. 1500.
In Bangkok, I was received at the airport by my uncle and he got me a job at the Metro Guest House. My first salary was 1000 baht (around Rs. 1500). It was more than enough to survive.
Food was no problem, because we worked in a restaurant. In fact, we used to get fed up of seeing food all around us. Even while we were cooking we always grabbed a few bites. I was not exactly a chef but I knew enough cooking to survive. And fortunately even the customers who ate my food survived!
At night, I slept in the kitchen. In the plush "bedroom" there was a video and TVon which I watched Hindi films. I remember "Himmatwala", "Tohfaa"... We used to love Sridevi´s films.
During the day, we used to dance to the songs of the films while cooking. Inspite of the hard life, we really enjoyed ourselves.
Filmography
1. Made in China (2009) (pre-production) .... Sidhu
2. Eight by Ten (2008) (filming)
3. Tashan (2008) (filming)
... aka Style (India: English title: literal title)
4. Welcome (2007/I) (completed) .... Rajiv
5. Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) .... Dr. Aditya Shrivastav
6. Heyy Babyy (2007)
7. Namastey London (2007) .... Arjun Ballu Singh
8. Bhagam Bhag (2006) .... Bunty
9. Jaan-E-Mann: Let's Fall in Love... Again (2006) .... Agastya Rao
... aka Beloved (International: English title)
... aka Heartthrob (USA)
... aka Let's Fall in Love... Again (UK: promotional title)
10. Phir Hera Pheri (2006) .... Raju
... aka Hera Pheri 2 (India: Hindi title)
11. Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006) .... Aditya Malhotra
12. Mere Jeevan Saathi (2006) .... Vicky
... aka Suneel Darshan's Mere Jeevan Saathi (India: Hindi title: complete title)
13. Family: Ties of Blood (2006) .... Shekhar Bhatia
14. Dosti: Friends Forever (2005) .... Raj Malhotra
15. Deewane Huye Paagal (2005) .... Rocky Hiranandani
16. Garam Masala (2005) .... Mac
17. Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005) .... Aditya Thakur
18. Bewafaa (2005) .... Raja
19. Insan (2005) .... Amjad
20. Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo (2004) .... Major Rajeev Singh
21. Aitraaz (2004) .... Raj Malhotra
22. Hatya: The Murder (2004) .... Ravi R. Lal
23. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) .... Sunny
24. Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin (2004) .... Inspector Ajay
25. Aan: Men at Work (2004) .... DCP Hari Om Patnaik
... aka Aan (India: Hindi title: short title)
26. Police Force: An Inside Story (2004) .... Vijay Singh
27. Khakee (2004) .... Sr. Inspector Shekhar Verma
... aka The Uniform (International: English title: informal literal title)
28. Andaaz (2003) .... Raj Malhotra
29. Talaash: The Hunt Begins... (2003) .... Arjun
30. Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani (2002) .... Atul
31. Awara Paagal Deewana (2002) .... Guru Gulab Khatri
32. Aankhen (2002) .... Vishwas Prajapati
33. Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya (2002) .... Raj Malhotra
34. Ajnabee (2001) .... Vikram Bajaj ((Vicky)
35. Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love (2001) .... Ajay Kapoor
... aka Bond of Love (International: English title)
... aka Ek Rishtaa (India: Hindi title: short title)
36. Khiladi 420 (2000) .... Dev Kumar Malhotra
37. Dhadkan (2000) .... Ram
38. Hera Pheri (2000) .... Raju
39. Jaanwar (1999) .... Badshah/Bapu Lohar
40. Sangharsh (1999) .... Professor Aman Varma
41. Zulmi (1999) .... Raj
42. International Khiladi (1999) .... Rahul 'Devraj'
43. Aarzoo (1999) .... Vijay Khanna
44. Barood (1998) .... Jai Sharma
45. Angaaray (1998) .... Amar
46. Keemat: They Are Back (1998) .... Dev
47. Aflatoon (1997) .... Rocky/Raja/Parimal Chaturvedi
48. Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) .... Ajay (Special Appearance)
... aka D.T.P.H. (India: English title: promotional abbreviation)
... aka The Heart Is Crazy (International: English title)
49. Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi (1997) .... Raja
50. Tarazu (1997) .... Inspector Ram Yadav
51. Daava (1997) .... Inspector Arjun
... aka The Challenge (India: English title)
52. Insaaf: The Final Justice (1997) .... Inspector Vikram Singh
... aka Justice (India: English title) (International: English title)
53. Lahoo Ke Do Rang (1997) .... Sikandar Davai
54. Sapoot (1996) .... Prem
55. Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) .... Akshay Malhotra
... aka Players of the Game (International: English title: informal literal title)
56. Tu Chor Main Sipahi (1996) .... Amar Varma
57. Sabse Bada Khiladi (1995) .... Inspector Vijay Kumar/Lallu
58. Maidan-E-Jung (1995) .... Karan Singh
59. Paandav (1995) .... Inspector Vijay Kumar
60. Hum Hain Bemisaal (1994) .... Vijay Sinha
61. Zaalim (1994) .... Ravi
62. Zakhmi Dil (1994) .... Jaidev Anand
63. Nazar Ke Samne (1994) .... Jai Kumar
64. Suhaag (1994) .... Raj
65. Ikke Pe Ikka (1994) .... Rajiv
66. Amaanat (1994) .... Amar
67. Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994) .... Police Inspector Karan Joglekar
... aka I'm the Expert, You're the Novice (UK)
68. Mohra (1994) .... Amar Saxena
69. Jai Kishen (1994) .... Jai Verma/Kishen
70. Yeh Dillagi (1994) .... Vijay Saigal
... aka The Game of Love (India: English title)
71. Elaan (1994) .... Vishal Chaudhry
72. Sainik (1993) .... Lieutenant Suraj Dutt
73. Waqt Hamara Hai (1993) .... Vikas Kumar Sabkuchwala
74. Kayda Kanoon (1993) .... Inspector Dawood 'D.D.' Durani
75. Dil Ki Baazi (1993) .... Vijay
76. Ashaant (1993) .... Vijay
... aka Vishnu Vijaya (India: Kannada title: dubbed version)
77. Deedar (1992) .... Anand K. Malhotra
... aka Seeing the Beloved's Face
78. Khiladi (1992) .... Raj Malhotra
79. Mr. Bond (1992) .... Mr. Bond
80. Dancer (1991) .... Raju 'Raja'
81. Saugandh (1991) .... Shiva
Akshay Kumar - Biography
Akshay Kumar (Hindi: अक्षय कुमार; born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on September 9, 1967) is an Indian film actor. He has appeared in over 80 Hindi language films.
During the 90s, Kumar was primarily described as the action hero of Bollywood,[1] starring in hit action films such as Khiladi (1992), Mohra (1994) and Sabse Bada Khiladi (1995), and being particularly known for his "Khiladi Series". However, he was simultaneously recognised for his performances in romantic films like Yeh Dillagi (1994) and Dhadkan (2000) as well as dramatic films such as Ek Rishtaa (2001), showing his versatility to perform a range of roles.
In 2002, he won his first Filmfare Award under the Best Villain category, for his performance in Ajnabee (2001). Willing to change his intransigent image, Kumar later ventured mostly into comedy films.[1] His comic performances in films such as Hera Pheri (2000), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Garam Masala (2005) and Jaan-E-Mann (2006) met with critical acclaim. His success further rose in 2007, when he starred in four consecutive commercial hits. Having done so, he has established himself as one of the prominent actors of the Hindi film industry.[2] In 2008, the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law on Kumar in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Early life
Kumar was born in Amritsar (Punjab).[4] His father was a government worker. From a very young age, he was recognised as a performer, particularly as a dancer. Kumar was raised in Delhi's Chandni Chowk neighbourhood before moving to Mumbai.[5] In Mumbai, he lived in Koliwada, which was another Punjabi dominated area.[5] He studied at Don Bosco School and then Khalsa College, where he took an interest in sports.[5]
He studied martial arts in Bangkok and worked as a chef. He then came back to Mumbai, where he started teaching martial arts. One of his students happened to be a photographer and recommended him to do modelling. The student gave him a modelling assignment for a small company. For his two hours posing in front of the camera, he got Rs. 5,000, compared to his previous salary of Rs. 4,000 in one month. That was one of the main reasons why he chose to be a model. After a couple of months of modelling, Kumar was finally offered a lead role by producer Pramod Chakravarthy for the movie Deedar.[5]
Career
Kumar made his Bollywood acting debut with the 1991 film Saugandh, which was unnoticed. His first major hit was the 1992 thriller film Khiladi. 1993 saw a drop as many of his films failed to do well. However, 1994 proved to be a good year for Kumar as he followed up his hit success with Khiladi with the action films Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Mohra which were among the highest grossing films of the year.[6] Later that year, Yash Chopra signed him for the romantic film Yeh Dillagi which was also a success. [6] He received appreciation for his performance in this film, where he played a romantic role which was different compared to his action roles. He would consequently receive his first nominations for Best Actor award at the Filmfare and Star Screen ceremonies. During the same year, Kumar also had success with films like Suhaag and the low budget action film Elaan. All these achievements, promoted Kumar as one of the most successful actors of that year.[7]
In 1995, along with his share of unsuccessful movies, he starred in the third film in his Khiladi series Sabse Bada Khiladi, which was a hit.[8] He proved to have success with the Khiladi series, as in the next year he starred in the fourth hit film with Khiladi in the title, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi opposite Rekha and Raveena Tandon. The film became one of the highest grossing films of the year.[9]
In 1997, he made an extended guest appearance in Yash Chopra's hit film Dil To Pagal Hai, for which he received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award nomination. In the same year, he attempted a comedy role with the fifth film in the Khiladi series, Mr and Mrs Khiladi. Unlike his previous films with Khiladi in the title, the film failed commercially.[10] In the same way as this film, his next Khiladi releases in the following years went on to fail at the box office. In 1999, Kumar received critical acclaim for his roles in the films Sangharsh and Jaanwar. Whilst the former did not make a profit at the box office, the latter turned out to be a success.[11]
In 2000 he starred in the comedy Hera Pheri (2000) which was both a critical and commercial success,[12] and showcased his ability at doing comedy just as he did action and romantic roles. He also starred in the romantic film Dhadkan later that same year which also earned reasonable takings at the box office.[12] In 2001, Kumar played a negative role in the film Ajnabee. The film won him much acclaim as well as his first Filmfare Award for Best Villain. Kumar also had critical appreciation for his role as a blind man in Aankhen which was a box office success of that year.
Following the success of Hera Pheri, Kumar starred in a number of comedy films, including Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and Garam Masala (2005). The films succeeded at the box office, and his performance in the latter earned him his second Filmfare Award, for Best Comedian.[13][14]
Apart from his action, comedy and romantic roles, Kumar displayed a flair for dramatic roles in films such as Ek Rishtaa (2001), Aankhen (2002), Bewafaa (2005) and Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005).
In 2006 he starred in a sequel to Hera Pheri titled Phir Hera Pheri. As was the former, the sequel became a huge success at the box office.[15] Later that year he starred alongside Salman Khan in the romantic musical Jaan-E-Mann. The film was a well anticipated release, and despite receiving positive reviews from critics, did not do as well as expected at the box office.[15] Though the film under-performed, his role as a shy, lovable nerd was praised.[16] He ended the year with the comedy Bhagam Bhag, which was a success.[15] In that same year, he led the Heat 2006 world tour along with fellow stars Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.[17]
2007 proved to be Kumar's most successful year during his career in the industry, and as described by box office analysts, "probably the best ever recorded by an actor, with four outright hits and no flops."[2] His first release, Namastey London, was critically and commercially successful, and his performance earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote of his performance in the film, "he's sure to win the hearts of millions of moviegoers with a terrific portrayal in this film."[18] His next two releases, Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, both received super hit verdicts at the box office as well.[19][20] Kumar's last release of the year, Welcome, did extremely well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster status and simultaneously becoming his fifth successive hit.[21] All of Kumar's films which released that year did well in the overseas market as well.[22]
Kumar's first film of 2008, Tashan, marked his comeback to the Yash Raj Films banner after 11 years. Although much anticipated by the public,[23] the film was a critical and commercial failure. His second film, Singh Is Kinng, has been declared a super-hit after breaking first weeks worldwide record of Om Shanti Om which was the previous highest figure.[24]
Kumar has been named for this year’s Padma Shri Award. These awards are endowed as a national honour.[25]
Personal life
During his years in Bollywood, Kumar was romantically linked with several of his co-star actresses like Pooja Batra, Raveena Tandon, Rekha and Shilpa Shetty. After being engaged twice to actress Twinkle Khanna, the daughter of veteran actors Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, he finally married her on January 14, 2001. Their son named Aarav was born on September 15, 2002.
In 2007, a leading Mumbai tabloid newspaper printed a story saying that Kumar and his wife had fallen out and Kumar had moved out of his home, staying at a hotel instead.[26] On July 26, 2007 the couple sent a legal notice to the tabloid, declaring that the rumour was false. Kumar said:
“ The article is a clear representation of careless and irresponsible journalism. The freedom of press comes with responsibilities, which seems to have been put aside to give way to shock value journalism.[27]
awards_and_nominations
Nominated, Filmfare Best Comedian Award
Nominated, Asian Film Award for Best Actor