Why Akshay Kumar Changed His Name from Rajiv Bhatia: The Truth Revealed

Akshay Kumar, born on September 9, 1967, in Delhi, turns 58 today. The Bollywood superstar, known for countless blockbusters, stays busy with multiple upcoming projects as we uncover the story behind his real name.

Akshay Kumar's real name is Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia. After completing his studies, he went to Bangkok and learned martial arts and Thai boxing. He lived in Thailand for 5 years. Then he came to India and taught martial arts to children. He wanted to be an actor since childhood. After a lot of hard work, he got a 10-second role in Mahesh Bhatt's film Aaj. After this film, he changed his name from Rajiv Bhatia to Akshay Kumar.

Why did Akshay Kumar change his name?

Before debuting in Bollywood, Akshay Kumar lived in Bangkok and worked as a chef and waiter. In the 1987 film Aaj, Akshay appeared as a karate instructor. Kumar Gaurav, Raj Babbar, and Smita Patil were in the lead roles. Kumar Gaurav's character's name in the film was Akshay. He liked this name so much that he changed his name to Akshay Kumar, inspired by it. In an interview, Akshay once said about changing his name - 'It wasn't like a pundit advised me to change my name. My father also asked me why you are doing this, Rajiv is also a good name, but I told him that the hero's name in my first film was this. That's why I want to keep this name and I like it'. As soon as he changed his name, he was offered the lead role in the film and his dream came true.

What is the name of Akshay Kumar's debut film?

Akshay Kumar started his career with the 1991 film Saugandh. However, this film flopped. A year later, he was offered the action thriller Khiladi, which was a super hit at the box office. This film made him a star and he became known as Khiladi in the industry. After this, he started getting offers for films continuously. He then worked in hit films like Mohra (1994) and Yeh Dillagi (1994). After this, he appeared in several films including Dhadkan (2000), Andaaz (2003), Namastey London (2007), Hera Pheri (2000), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) and Singh Is Kinng (2008). He surprised everyone by playing the role of a villain in the film Ajnabee (2001).

Akshay Kumar has worked in 150 films

Akshay Kumar has worked in around 150 films in his career so far. He has won several awards including 2 National and 2 Filmfare Awards. He was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 2009. Talking about his work front, his 4 films Sky Force, Kesari Chapter 2, Housefull 5 and Kannappa have been released in 2025. His film Jolly LLB 3 is releasing on September 19.