When the New Decade began in 2010, Akshay Kumar was a successful actor; primarily excelling in comedy and action roles. However, during these past 10 years, he’s soared to an even greater height. Changing his direction, this time around he’s proven himself through movies containing social commentary or patriotic themes that usually aren’t commercially successful for most actors. But for Mr. Kumar – who has achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success – it appears there are no boundaries!
His following only widens as does his appeal to all people from every corner of society. Critics once looked down at him; now they praise him and award him with accolades while those who were already devoted fans before continue to do so today on the day of his birth when Bollywood Hungama looked back at how Akshay Kumar became India’s newest Aamir Khan.
In spite of some rough patches here and there in the earlier years, 2010 proved to be pivotal for Akshay Kumar. His popularity increased – he went from being a part of Hindi cinema’s elite Rs 10 Crore Club to being awarded the dignity of its top ranking Rs 100 Crore Club – due primarily because of two major successes: Housefull 2 and Rowdy Rathore. Though movies such as Joker and Khiladi 786 missed expectations, Akshay managed to rebound with another hit that boosted his reputation for portraying anything from an everyday man (Oh My God) to larger-than-life action heroes (OMG!)
Things seemed to fall into place in 2013 when he starred in the rather unusual thriller, Special 26. The gamble seemed worth it and it showed him that there were more challenges out there waiting for him. In Baby (2015), he worked alongside the same director, Neeraj Pandey – this time around they had collaborated on an action/thriller movie; one which differed from all his previous efforts of the 90s. It was quite realistic and still managed to pay off at the box office.
With his 2016’s first release Airlift, anticipation remained low – considering how little there appeared to be in terms of commercial ingredients – but fortunately enough, even without big names or hype behind it, it went on to become a huge success anyway . Next came Toilet – Ek Prem Katha followed by Pad Man which both performed well outside major Bollywood conventions as well as releasing what would arguably have been considered ‘taboo’ topics (menstruation) for mainstream audiences.
It would be wrong to say that Akshay Kumar has just gone with the flow and done whatever comes his way. With the end of one decade already behind us, some of his movies didn’t do well so he thought it was time for a change – something different from action-comedy. But this shift required switching gears as he neared 50 years old; it seemed inevitable that action would become secondary soon enough. It’s likely he saw how Shah Rukh Khan was failing big time by no longer seeming believable when romancing female co-stars onscreen or when trying new things like comedies or dramas which weren’t working all the time (think Dilwale).
Meanwhile, Salman Khan seemed to be succeeding despite many failed tries and still being selective about choosing projects without dumbing down who he is as an artiste in order to appease audiences (Dabangg! Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani).
As a result, Akshay Kumar was inspired by actors like Aamir Khan. Unlike the other famous actor, he made changes that were specific to him and his working methods. For example, when Aamir had three projects planned in advance – two were considered just okay – but one was chosen for filming soon after. To do this required about 18 months (or sometimes longer). On the other hand, Akshay decides quickly and yet selects worthwhile projects. Also different from his role model is that though both actors went on vacation periodically during their career, they don’t always do so at the same time; or sometimes they have large gaps between these vacations to recover from stress created by professional obligations.
One of the biggest surprises in recent years, is his ability to tap into an eclectic mix of conceptual, offbeat cinema. With mainstream blockbuster elements carefully incorporated into the storytelling and plot lines; audiences never felt marginalized or sidelined either. With most contemporary Bollywood superstar movies reliant on a ‘strong female’ protagonist – from that lens alone; Akshay does exceedingly well without this singular fixation- weaving wonderfully nuanced storylines with talent just emerging – or ‘unconventional’ talents unlike who one would typically see opposite Hollywood’s power players themselves (like Hugh Jackman).
Whilst others focus primarily on showcasing their three key features above all else: dialogues/ song & dance; then again – at the end of day Akshay manages to deliver what he does best– enter crowds over merely spectacle or style by utilizing emotive visuals as another cinematic tool not solely relied upon/ experienced due to intensively expressive dialogue scenes!
The model works well for Akshay Kumar, but he is also facing some challenges because people are saying that his films look a lot alike, and there isn’t much room for growth in what he does because he makes socially conscious movies with nationalistic themes. In addition to this, not one of his movies has been able to make it into the top-earning category ($200 million or higher), which means Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal and Shahid Kapoor (young actors) will beat him out when one of them gets there.
However, there is also another side to this story. Some people disagree with me and believe that he actually produces 3-4 movies per year and many of them are making over Rs. 100 million at the Indian box office alone. And since there are several releases each year, his percentage only makes up about 12%. But when you look back over the past few years, it’s clear his numbers have been improving significantly each time around. In 2011, for example, he had an income of Rs. 40 billion (roughly $840 million). While in 2012, he made a whopping Rs. 82 billion ($1.7 billion)!
It went from Rs. 60.65 crore in 2013 to Rs. 86.65 crore in 2015, and then reached a peak of Rs. 121.57 crore in 2016 before finishing at around Rs. 180-200 crores last year – though figures aren’t out yet for 2019 just yet! But do know one thing; these numbers are only for Hindi versions of his films so far, not including the other languages or Tamil and Telugu ones which bring his total earnings up to over ₹3 billion – or around US$37 million!
Despite his popularity, Akshay Kumar still found time to give back. His ability to act in three or four movies a year and go on vacations is admirable for an individual of his fame. Why wouldn’t he be one of the most popular actors? It’s no surprise that he makes the fourth highest salary too, both domestically and internationally. As per Forbes Magazine from last month, Kaur made $65.5 million in 2019 and so he ranks as number 4th for highest paid actors behind Dwayne The Rock Johnson ($130m), Chris Hemsworth ($94m) and Robert Downey Jr.($95m).
And what’s more? After performing these activities, which he uses for social causes, he still has time available. One of his greatest accomplishments includes launching the Bharat Ke Veer website – where people can donate money to help out army families, who’ve lost their loved ones during service. This results in Akshay Kumar being an all-around type of individual; someone who provides audiences with both entertaining films and great actions – while also making a ton of cash, going on well deserved breaks from work – and improving this world we call home!
With the next decade upon us in less than 4 months, there’s much anticipation among fans, industry, and trade. Everyone wants to know what new offers Akshay Kumar might have coming up in the next year or so before turning 60. Though he has been around for a while now, he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon – providing some fantastic films for audiences along the way. His knack for writing scripts makes him akin to Aamir Khan but because of his patriotism towards country above all else – he is sometimes dubbed the second-coming Manoj Kumar as well. Soon enough though people might be labeling other actors who follow suit the new [insert name].
