Akshay Kumar has been named the 10th highest earning actor of 2017 in Forbes’ list of the World’s Highest Paid Actors of 2017. Earning $35.5 million, Akshay Kumar is one of 3 Indian actors (also included Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan) on the list filled with Hollywood action stars and superheroes. After delivering consecutive blockbusters and now with the successful global release of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (Toilet: A Love Story), Akshay Kumar has truly cemented his position that his films will make bank in Bollywood. Akshay Kumar’s place in the list as the 10th highest paid actor will come as no surprise as he has also previously appeared in Forbes 100 list of the highest paid celebrities in the world consecutively since 2015, when the list began incorporating stars outside of Hollywood.
With a career spanning 25 years, Akshay Kumar is no stranger to fans of Indian cinema, with over 30million fans on social media alone.
His latest film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha has been making waves globally, praised worldwide for tackling the sensitive topic of open defecation in India; Akshay Kumar has been lauded for his role in taking the issue to a wider audience.
Born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, the 49 year old actor began his career in Bangkok, working as a chef and studying martial arts. Upon his return to Mumbai, Akshay set up his very own martial art school, where a student suggested he tried modelling. Whilst pursuing this new line of work, Akshay was soon scouted by a producer for a lead role and made his screen debut in 1991. Akshay would soon captive the audience’s attention in the 1992 suspense thriller Khiladi, going on to star in a string of action films that have earned him the reputation as India’s answer to Jackie Chan.
Akshay Kumar’s forthcoming films include the sci-fi feature 2.0, Gold based on India’s first Olympic Gold medallist post India achieving its Independence from Britain, and Padman, the world’s first feature film on menstrual hygiene.
