7 times when Akshay Kumar proved that he is not just a KHILADI!

By Sreeju Sudhakaran
| Updated: September 9, 2015 8:02 AM IST

Never accuse the man of not experimenting much!

Akshay Kumar, the man who can give Tom Cruise a run for his money, will turn 48 today! The man for whom daredevil stunts are like a cakewalk is nearing fifty, but he hardly looks like he is slowing down, going by the promos of his upcoming Singh is Bliing! Also Read - Salman Khan and family to move out of Galaxy Apartment due to the firing incident? Arbaaz Khan breaks silence

Everyone knows Akshay Kumar is often referred to as Khiladi Kumar. Khiladi was Akshay Kumar's first true blue hot and he did a slew of films that had Khiladi in the title, like Sabse Bada Khiladi, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Khiladi 420, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, International Khiladi, Khiladi 786. Though he has started doing more serious content-driven stuff like Special 26 and Baby, there is still a Khiladi in his characters! But he did try out to change his image in various other avatars, with varying degrees of success. Here are seven instances, when Akshay Kumar went for a different makeover! Also Read - Priyadarshan comments on Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiyaa sequels whilst confirming his next with Akshay Kumar; 'I don't like...'

A nerd...

Also Read - Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 maker Anees Bazmee gets candid on the bad box office phase of Akshay Kumar

The man who is the epitome of macho-ness played a nerd in Shirish Kunder's Jaan-e-mann, that too complete with braces, big specs and bushy hair. Yet, he turned out to be one of the best things about this romcom gone wrong. Apart from Salman Khan's drag act, that is!

A wife-killing villain...

If you are hero, you can also convincingly play a villain as well! Ask the late Heath Ledger (Joker from The Dark Knight) or Shah Rukh Khan (Darr, Anjaam). Akshay Kumar played a chilling, manipulative antagonist in Ajnabee, who didn't mind killing his wife and putting the blame on someone else, only to hoard her insurance money! It won him his first Filmfare award for the Best Villain that year! He also later played a villain in Tasveer 8X10, Blue and Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!.

A comic sidekick

I believe, more than Hera Pheri, it was Khakee that rejuvenated Akshay Kumar's film career. The actor finally got to shine his comic skills in a film where there is no Paresh Rawal to steal the scenes. And he was not even the movie's man lead - it was Amitabh Bachchan! Too bad he gets killed, just when we were beginning to root for him!

An English cricketer

If our superstars would have to play a cricketer, they would have chosen to be the captain of the Indian team only. But Akshay Kumar chose a different path, as he played a match-winning spinner for the English Cricket team. Moreover, he also played a wimpy son to his strict Sardar dad, played with enough ferocity by Rishi Kapoor!

A parodied version of himself

How many actors in Bollywood have the guts to make a fol of themselves and their perceived image on screen? Akshay Kumar has that, and he made a parody of himself, not once, but a couple of times. There's that iconic cameo in Om Shanti Om, which threatened to steal the scene away from SRK, and the alcoholic arrogant alter-ego of himself in last year's comedy, The Shaukeens. Plus, he also rocked as himself in a single scene appearance in the Riteish Deshmukh - Jacqueline Fernandez alien comedy Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai. Please make a Bollywood spoof with him as a lead! Or just make The Return of Khiladi, as teased in Om Shanti Om!

A God!

Playing God was almost like a risk, since actors who played gods in films, like Arun Govil, Nitish Bharadwaj, Vikram Gokhale, never had great careers in leading roles. But Akshay Kumar took that risk and what we got was one of the coolest avatars of Krishna in the 21st century. And I still keep on playing that flute tune whenever I feel depressed!

A snake

Yeah, bros! Akshay Kumar has done what no Khan has done in their careers - played a snake! Okay, a snake-possessed human, on the lines of what Sridevi played in Nagina and its sequel, Nigahein. The movie was named Hatya, a film made in 1994 but got released in 2004, and if you are right now scratching your head and trying to remember when this event happened, fret not! Even Akshay Kumar doesn't want to remember this monstrosity, and he had a hell of time forgetting Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahaani!

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BySreeju Sudhakaran
Updated: September 9, 2015 8:02 AM IST