Spare Parts

Director: Sean McNamara

Writers: Joshua Davis, Elissa Matsueda

Stars: George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Carlos PenaVega

“Four Hispanic high school students form a robotics club under the leadership of their school's newest teacher, Fredi. With no experience, 800 bucks, used car parts and a dream, this rag tag team goes up against the country's reigning robotics champion, MIT. On their journey, they learn not only how to build a robot- they learn to build a bond that will last a lifetime.”

Synopsis:

We all like to watch movies that inspire us, some in materialistic way and some in more thoughtful way to trigger the creativity in all of us. Spare Parts come along in the latter category. A movie that documents the reality of day to day struggles, bottlenecks and insecurities that students follow in their regular life, and still want to achieve the One Big Thing in their lives.

This film centres on four Hispanic high school students who were made famous by a "Wired" magazine article after they entered a national underwater robotics competition against major colleges and did better than anyone expected. These four teenage boys each bring something vital to the table. There's the robotics enthusiast – and group leader – Oscar (Carlos PenaVega), the computer genius, Christian (David Del Rio), the mechanics expert, Lorenzo (José Julián) and Luis (Oscar Gutierrez), the strong but silent type whose brawn is needed to lift the robot out of the water at the competition, but ends up contributing more than just his muscles to the team. Each of these young men is being caught up from making something of himself by serious problems in his personal life. On top of it, all of them share a common problem – they are undocumented residents of the United States, brought here as young children by their parents.

In addition to each team member's personal issues, there are interpersonal issues between some of them, which required some strong people to get these guys to mend with each other and work together, and achieve that something special, despite their personal challenges. Here enters a great team of teachers including a caring but tough Principal, for inspiring them to fulfil their dream. With the talent, the desire and the support, the team does their best to work through their individual issues, get past their personal differences, and become a team that can raise the money to build their robot and hold their own in the competition.

"Spare Parts" could have easily been an indifferent underdog story, but it becomes something both broader and deeper than one might expect. Exploring each character’s individual challenges, one might get the sense of who these people are; and one is most likely end up identifying with one or the other. This is an interesting, thought-provoking and heart-touching movie, which may cause a tear or two, but definitely won’t disappoint the audience.

Cast:

	Alexa PenaVega	...	Karla
	Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Principal
	Carlos PenaVega	...	Oscar Vazquez
	George Lopez	...	Fredi Cameron

Tomorrowland

Director: Brad Bird

Production: Walt Disney Pictures

Writers: Damon Lindelof (screenplay), Brad Bird (screenplay)

Stars: George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy

Duration: 130 minutes

“Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as ‘Tomorrowland’”.

Synopsis:

The latest outcome from Disney’s wonders of imaginations is Tomorrowland. The film tells the story of a former boy genius (Clooney) and a young girl (Robertson), who travel to an ambiguous dimension known as "Tomorrowland", where their actions directly affect the world and themselves. This movie kickstarts with the notion of Not-Losing-Hope and Not-Giving-Up attitudes, but as the timeline grows the plot looses its grip in somewhere, Still the basic concept remains with the audience which makes it an inspiring movie than being tagged only as a sci-fi adventure.

Well, Tomorrowland is a city in a parallel dimension to our own where some of the brightest minds -- both creative and scientific -- convened to try and create a better future for our tomorrow. In the film, teenager Casey Newton (played very likably by Britt Robertson) is given a tiny pin with the Tomorrowland logo on it that when she touches she is presented with visions of Tomorrowland. These visions set her on a quest to figure out what this amazing place is that she is seeing, and on that quest she meets an android girl with some pretty awesome martial arts moves named Athena, a cadre of robots hunting Casey down trying to keep her from uncovering the secrets of Tomorrowland, and a grumpy George Clooney, who portrays Frank Walker, a former child genius who once lived in Tomorrowland but was exiled. Frank is the only one who can take Casey there, and thus their adventure to reach Tomorrowland shifts into high gear.

Very few movies today give us the motivation to think beyond what we see, to think optimistically about the future. This is one of those movies, which will appeal to those who still dare to dream out of their ways, crafted in old fashioned sci-fi movie style.  Some scenes which were made so beautiful that the theatre leaving audience will always remember  whenever they think of this movie. The one where Frank shows his Jet-Pack to the judge and explains beautifully about how that would be helpful in making world a nice place to live. Another one where Casey calms down her father for him going to lose his NASA job and motivates him with the story of Two Wolves (with analogy to Light and Darkness), was another beautifully crafted scene. These will leave you with inner happiness even after the movie ends.

For the technical aspects of the movie, Casey Newton played a powerful role which even side-kicked George’s Frank character at some points. And for Athena’s character, Raffey Cassidy successfully leaves a mark on audience’s mind and it would not be easy to think of Tomorrowland without her beautifully played character. Director Brad Bird has crafted this film which mixes mystery, wonder, and suspense wonderfully with touching human moments between characters, both man and machine, and some remarkably executed comedic beats as well. Direction and screenplay were both great from the start, but when the story moves forward, it somehow loses the track and leads to a climax which may leave many people disappointed at the end. CGI graphics and other technicalities were good only, as a proper Sci-Fi movie fan would think it as old-fashioned one. Still, from start to end, Tomorrowland somehow works.

To cut things short, we are all too pessimistic to think straight most of the times, we watch death and destructions with too much fun nowadays, but when a movie like this comes, which really talks about the inspiration and optimism in future, the tenacious attitude to live with and most of all, Not Losing Hope, then it should be watched for at least Fun-cum-Inspiro-tainment.

Cast:

	George Clooney	...	Frank Walker
	Hugh Laurie	...	Nix
	Britt Robertson	...	Casey Newton
	Raffey Cassidy	...	Athena

Gabbar Is Back

Gabbar Is Back is a 2015 Indian Hindi action-drama film directed by Krish and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. Featuring Akshay Kumar in the title role, the film is a remake of the 2002 Tamil film Ramanaa, directed by A. R. Murugadoss, which was later remade in Telugu as Tagore in 2003 and in Kannada as Vishnu Sena in 2005 . Shruti Haasan, Suman Talwar, Jaideep Ahlawat and Sunil Grover appear in supporting roles with Kareena Kapoor Khan in a cameo. The film was released on May 1, 2015. Gabbar Is Back clashed with Kamal Haasan's Uttama Villain.

Directed by         Krish

Produced by        Sanjay Leela Bhansali

                            Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

                            Shabinaa Khan

Written by           Rajat Arora

Story by              A. R. Murugadoss

Based on             Ramana by A. R. Murugadoss

Starring               Akshay Kumar

                            Shruti Hassan

                            Suman Talwar

                            Jaideep Ahlawat

                            Sunil Grover

Music by             Songs:

                            Chirantan Bhatt

                            Yo Yo Honey Singh

                            Manj Musik

Background Score:      Sandeep Chowta

Cinematography               Nirav Shah

Edited by             Rajesh G. Pandey

Production company Bhansali Productions

Distributed by     Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

Release dates May 1, 2015

Running time 131 minutes

Country India

Language            Hindi

Box office           ₹1.56

billion (US$25 million)

Plot

The police get information that 10 tehsildars across Maharashtra have been mysteriously kidnapped. But they are as mysteriously returned - except the most corrupt officer, who is hanged in public. The police get a CD from mystery man 'Gabbar' who says his mission is to target corrupt officers. Police driver Sadhuram (Sunil Grover) is convinced he can crack who Gabbar is - but his superior officers humiliate him in front of all the other officers.

On his way home, Professor Aditya (Akshay Kumar) is stopped by lawyer Shruti (Shruti Haasan) makes him stop and drive her and a pregnant woman to the hospital. When Shruti wants to thank Aditya, she finds he's left. Sadhuram finds from village tehsil to district office that there's one honest officer in each department. He's convinced all these honest officers have a link to the Gabbar case. Shruti and Aditya become close, and one day, she gets hit by a scooter. Although she's not badly injured, doctors at Patil Hospital insist on expensive tests and Aditya realizes how helpless patients and their families are fleeced and often, inhumanly treated. A poor woman mourns her deceased husband in the civil hospital nearby. Aditya tells her he'll get her medical insurance. He checks in her husband as a patient to Patil Hospital. The hospital tries to swindle money out of Aditya by pretending to treat the dead man, making Aditya pay for tests and medicines. Aditya then shows them the death certificate, which proves they knowingly admitted a dead man. The young owner of the hospital is furious when Aditya releases the video of the hospital's corruption to the media. However, the owner is killed by an angry mob. His father, powerful builder Digvijay Patil (Suman Talwar), sees Aditya in the hospital CCTV footage and is stunned to realize that this is the same man he supposedly killed five years ago.

Aditya and Shruti attend a wedding where Aditya remembers his late wife (Kareena Kapoor Khan) and how they moved into a new apartment when she was expecting. While Aditya was out playing Holi, the building collapsed and killed hundreds of people, including his wife and unborn child. Aditya collected proof of the faulty building against builder Digivijay Patil, but Patil bribed everyone and no one was willing to hear Aditya out. Aditya beats Digvijay severely but the latter attacks him with an axe and thinks his blows have killed Aditya. But a bus full of medical students finds unconscious Aditya on a highway and save his life. He then decides to use the power of young, idealistic, honest youth and trains students at National College to join his cause. Sadhuram meanwhile finds out all the honest officers attended National College. Shruti sees Aditya as Gabbar and is shocked but when he tells her the truth, she supports his cause.

CBI officer Pahwa (Jaideep Ahlawat) taking charge is mystified by the case. He listens to Sadhuram's findings and they arrest National College students. But even upon being beaten, the students don't divulge anything about Gabbar. Shruti tells the CBI officer that because the law doesn't work, a vigilante like Gabbar is a hero for ordinary citizens today. Sadhuram changes his view of Gabbar. Patil kills an honest officer to terrorize others into passing his faulty building plans. The cops are sure Gabbar will target Patil for this outrageous act - and he does. Patil throws a birthday party for himself at his farmhouse. As he cuts the cake, he spots Gabbar in the crowd. The next moment, Gabbar and his gang kidnap him, wearing the same masks. As police search the city for Patil, Gabbar tells him to ring anyone to save himself - but every minister tells him to not involve them, so that Gabbar doesn't come after them next. Gabbar and Patil then have a violent clash and Gabbar kills Patil.

Gabbar goes to the police to hand himself in. He is given the death penalty but there are huge public protests and enraged students block his jail van. Officer Pahwa requests him to speak to the students and he does, telling them to channel their anger against corruption and be the change society needs. As Gabbar is taken to be hanged, Shruti breaks down but he leaves, smiling, asking the hangman, Ab tera kya hoga, Kaalia - the famous dialogue of the film Sholay.

Shruti Haasan

Shruti Rajalakshmi Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian film actress, singer and musician known for her works in Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema and Bollywood. She was born to veteran actor Kamal Haasan and Sarika.

As a child artist, she sang in films and appeared in a guest role in her father's Hey Ram (2000), before making her adult acting debut in the 2009 Bollywood action drama, Luck. She later went on to win critical acclaim for her role in the Walt Disney fantasy film in Telugu, Anaganaga O Dheerudu, Oh My Friend and 7th Sense. In 2012, she starred in Gabbar Singh, a Telugu remake of Bollywood Dabangg, which also was her first major commercial success as an actress.

After several successful films like Balupu, Yevadu and Race Gurram, she established herself as one of the leading contemporary actress in the Telugu cinema. Apart from achieving success in the Telugu film industry, Haasan is also regarded as one of the most promising contemporary actresses of Hindi cinema, with her being signed on to act in several high profile projects like Gabbar is Back(Released on 1st May, 2015 ) and Welcome Back, which are currently under production. In a recent poll conducted by Chennai Times Shruti topped the list of most desirable women. She has also continued her stint in music through work as a singer in Indian languages, a career in music direction beginning with her father's production Unnaipol Oruvan and her own music band and album.

Born      Shruti Haasan 28 January 1986 (age 29) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Ethnicity              Indian

Occupation         Actress, singer, model, dancer, musician

Years active        2000–present

Religion               Hinduism

Parent(s)              Kamal Haasan

                             Sarika Thakur

Relatives              Akshara Haasan (sister)

                             Charuhasan (uncle)

                             Chandrahasan (uncle)

                             Anu Hasan (cousin)

                             Suhasini Maniratnam(cousin)

                             Gauthami (step mother)

Early life

Shruti Haasan was born on 28 January 1986 to actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika Thakur in Chennai, India before their marriage in 1988. Her father is a Tamil Brahmin while her mother is half Marathi and half Rajput. Her younger sister Akshara represents India nationally for Ballroom Latin dancing. Haasan studied at Abacus Montessori School in Chennai and moved to Mumbai to study psychology at St. Andrew's College.

Haasan focused on cinema and music, and eventually traveled to the USA to continue to learn music at the Musicians Institute in California, before returning to Chennai.

Career

2009–11: Debut and early career

Haasan's first appearance in a feature film was a cameo role as the daughter of Vallabhbhai Patel in the Tamil-Hindi bilingual Hey Ram, based on a murder attempt of Mahatma Gandhi, directed by her father Kamal Haasan. After rejecting prominent film offers, most notably the lead role in Venkat Prabhu's Saroja, reports suggested in late 2007 that Haasan was set to make her actual acting debut in 2008 with a film opposite Madhavan directed by Nishikanth Kamat. Despite Madhavan admitting that the news "was premature", she eventually did sign up to the film, which was titled Endrendrum Punnagai, only to be stalled prior to production.

Haasan eventually signed up to feature in Soham Shah's Hindi film Luck opposite Imran Khan in July 2008, and shot for the film for nearly a year. Imran Khan, her childhood friend, had recommended her name to the director and Haasan signed on after listening to the entire script and accepted to play a dual role in the action film. Shruti took part in action scenes during filming, while she also worked out to get a toned body for a sequence in which she appears in a bikini in the film. The film opened in July 2009 to unanimously poor reviews from critics and took a poor opening at the box office, with critics stating that she "deserved a better launch vehicle". Reviewers were critical of her performance with Rajeev Masand of IBN stating that she delivers "dialogues with deadpan expressions", while another critic added that she is perhaps"synthetic and fails to impress". Haasan then went on to appear alongiside Blaaze in the promotional videos for Unnaipol Oruvan and Eenadu, the bilingual films starring her father, which she had composed the music for. She made a further appearance in a promotional video for the horror film Hisss starring Mallika Sherawat, where she had also sung a song composed by Dave Kushner.

She made her Telugu debut in January 2011, acting opposite Siddharth in the fantasy adventure film Anaganaga O Dheerudu directed by Prakash Kovelamudi son of director K. Raghavendra Rao. The film, co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, saw Shruti play a gypsy woman whose life coincides with a task that a blind swordsman, played by Siddharth. The film opened to positive reviews, with her performance being praised with a critic noting "Shruti looks quite attractive and makes a wonderful screen presence," while a reviewer from Rediff.com wrote that she "looks beautiful and has a mystical aura about her". The film however became a commercial failure at the box office, and the film failed to capitulate on a hefty promotional campaign that had been undertaken. Her second Hindi feature film, Madhur Bhandarkar's romantic comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, saw her appear in an extended guest appearance alongside an ensemble cast of Emraan Hashmi, Ajay Devgn and Shazahn Padamsee. The film portrayed her as Nikki Narang, the step-daughter of an ex Miss India model, with Hashmi's character falling for both mother and daughter. Shruti's performance gained poor responses from critics with a reviewer citing that her character has been "reduced to post-interval surfacing, last-ditch glamour" whilst another labelled hers as "so fake that she offers only disappointment"; however the film went on to become a commercial success at the box office. In mid-2010, Shruti was signed by A. R. Murugadoss to star opposite Suriya in his next film 7aum Arivu, and the film's shoot began in June later that year. The director signed after he felt she looked the part of the scientist, mentioning that she seemed "intelligent and beautiful". Shruti played Subha Srinivasan, a young scientist in the film, who hopes to re-activate the genes of 5th century Buddhist monk Bodhidharma and her performance in the film won appreciation from critics. The film opened to mixed reviews, but became commercially successful. A critic from The Hindu noted "rarely is a heroine given near-equal footing in Tamil films," describing her as "ravishing but that she ought to work harder on spontaneity, and fine-tune her Tamil accent", but concluded "the point is the actor shows promise". Her next Telugu release was Oh My Friend, a romantic comedy film alongside Siddharth again, which also co-starred Hansika Motwani and Navdeep. The film told the story of childhood friends and that of their platonic friendship that went on in their adulthood as well and for the role Shruti Haasan went on to learn the dance of Kuchipudi. The film opened to average reviews with several critics claiming the film evoked a sense of "déjà vu", though a reviewer noted "Shruti, on her part displays the same conviction."

2012–present: Success and recent work

Shruti Haasan was next seen in Aishwarya Dhanush's directorial debut 3, a romantic drama film co-starring Dhanush. Aishwarya revealed that she had written the script with Shruti Haasan in mind but date problems meant that the film began its shoot with Amala Paul instead. However in a turn of events, Shruti was re-signed to play the character of Janani, and the film gained much hype prior to release due to the collaboration of herself and Aishwarya, being the daughters of the two leading contemporary Tamil actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth as did the success of the song Why This Kolaveri Di?. The film opened in March 2012 to positive reviews with a critic noting "Shruti Hassan has come a long way," though the film only garnered average returns at the box office. Her second release in 2012 was Harish Shankar's Telugu film Gabbar Singh, a remake of the 2010 Hindi film Dabangg, with the version featuring her alongside Pawan Kalyan. Shruti had signed the film in November 2011 replacing Ileana D'Cruz who had opted out, and played the role of Bhagyalakshmi, a village girl, which had been played by Sonakshi Sinha in the original version. The film went on to become a major commercial success at the box office and brought in more film offers for Haasan. Critics also gave her performance a favourable verdict citing that she "justifies her role" and "though she didn't have much of a role, she has left her mark."

In 2013, she appeared in the Telugu action film Balupu opposite Ravi Teja, which eventually became a "super hit" at the Indian box office. Haasan mainly received positive reviews for her performance, with critics noting that she "provides the fun in the film with glamor and verve". Later that year, Haasan made a comeback to Hindi films, with Prabhu Deva's Ramaiya Vastavaiya and Nikhil Advani's D-Day. The films emerged as moderate successes and Haasan received generally positive reviews for her performances.

Her first release of 2014, the Telugu film Yevadu opposite Ram Charan Teja, emerged as a major commercial success. Her second Telugu release of the year, Race Gurram, had Haasan star opposite Allu Arjun for the first time in her career. The film was released on 11 April 2014, and eventually emerged as a "blockbuster" success. Along with the rest of the film, Haasan received positive reviews for her performance, with one critic noting that she "plays her part well and looks glamorous".

Upcoming projects

As of December 2014, Haasan has completed work on the Hindi language action drama Main Gabbar opposite Akshay Kumar, and is currently shooting for three other Hindi language films, Anees Bazmee's comedy Welcome Back opposite John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar, Tigmanshu Dhulia's drama Yaara opposite Devshakti Swain, Amit Sadh and Irrfan Khan, and Rocky Handsome, opposite John Abraham. Haasan is also currently shooting for Poojai, a Tamil action masala film opposite Vishal, and the Telugu action comedy film Aagadu opposite Mahesh Babu and Tamannaah, in which she appears in a special song.She has Signed for the high budget Tamil production Fantasy film directed by Chimbudevan co-starring actor Vijay in the lead role along with Hansika Motwani.

Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar (also known by his birth name Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia) (born on 9th September 1967) is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. He has been nominated for Filmfare Awards several times, winning it two times. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was known for his appearances in films of the "Khiladi series" as well as other action films such as Waqt Hamara Hai (1993), Mohra (1994), Elaan (1994), Suhaag (1994), Sapoot (1996).

Later, Kumar also gained fame for his drama, romance and comic roles. His performances in romance films like Yeh Dillagi (1994), Dhadkan (2000), Andaaz (2003) and Namastey London (2007), as well as drama films such as Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005). His comic performances in comedy films such as Hera Pheri (2000), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Garam Masala (2005), Bhagam Bhag (2006), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), and Singh Is Kinng (2008) met with acclaim. In 2007, he starred in four consecutive commercially successful films. Kumar hit a rough patch since 2009 to 2011 but came back with two successes, Housefull 2 (2012) and Rowdy Rathore (2012) with both of them grossing over ₹1 billion (US$16 million). His other films like OMG (2012), Special 26 (2013) and Holiday (2014) were highly successful critically and commercially. In February 2013, many media outlets reported that the net box-office collection of Kumar's films had crossed ₹20 billion (US$320 million) and he was the first and the only Bollywood actor to do so. Having done so, he has established himself as a leading contemporary actor of Hindi cinema.

Apart from acting, Kumar has also worked as a stunt actor; he has often performed many dangerous stunts in his films, which has earned him the sobriquet "Indian Jackie Chan". In 2008, he hosted the show Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi. The next year, he founded the Hari Om Entertainment production company.

In 2008, the University of Windsor conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law on Kumar in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. The following year he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. In 2011 The Asian Awards honoured Kumar for his outstanding achievement in Cinema. In 2012 he founded another production company called Grazing Goat Pictures.

In 2014, Kumar launched TV realty show Dare 2 Dance. He also owns the team Khalsa Warriors in the World Kabaddi League.

Born      Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia 9 September 1967 (age 47) Delhi, India

Residence            Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Other names       Akki, Khiladi, Khiladi Kumar

King of Bollywood (2007)

Ethnicity              Punjabi

Occupation         Actor, producer, presenter

Years active        1991–present

Spouse(s)             Twinkle Khanna (2001–present)

Children               2

Relatives              Rajesh Khanna (Father-in-law)

Dimple Kapadia (Mother-in-law)

Rinke Khanna (Sister-in-law)

Early life and background

Akshay Kumar was born in Delhi, India. His father Hari Om Bhatia was a military officer. His mother's name is Aruna Bhatia. From a young age, Kumar was recognised as a performer, particularly as a dancer. He was raised in Delhi's Chandni Chowk before moving to Mumbai where he lived in Koliwada, a Punjabi dominated area. He received his school education from Don Bosco School and enrolled in Mumbai's Guru Nanak Khalsa College for higher education. Kumar also has a sister, Alka Bhatia. When Kumar was a teenager, his father asked him what he aspired to be. Kumar expressed his desire to become an actor.

After having obtained a black belt in Taekwondo while in India, he studied martial arts in Bangkok, Thailand, where he learned Muay Thai and worked as a chef and waiter. Upon his return to Mumbai, he commenced the teaching of martial arts. One of his students, an aspiring photographer, recommended Kumar into modelling which ultimately led to a modelling assignment. Kumar effectively made more money within the first two days of shooting, in comparison to his entire months salary, and therefore chose a modelling career path. He also worked as a background dancer in various films. One morning, he missed his flight for an ad-shoot in Bangalore. Disappointed with himself, he visited a film studio along with his portfolio. Fortunately that evening, Kumar was signed for a lead role by producer Pramod Chakravarthy for the movie Deedar.

Career

1991–1999

See also: Khiladi (film series)

Kumar made his first appearance as the lead actor opposite Raakhee and Shantipriya in Saugandh (1991), though he had appeared in the uncredited role of a martial arts instructor in the 1987 Mahesh Bhatt-directed and Kumar Gaurav starrer, Aaj. In the same year, he acted in Kishore Vyas-directed Dancer, which received poor reviews. The following year he starred in Abbas Mustan-directed suspense thriller, Khiladi, widely considered his breakthrough role. His next release was the Raj Sippy-directed detective film Mr. Bond, based on James Bond. His last release of 1992 was Deedar. It failed to perform well at the box office. In 1993, he acted in the Keshu Ramsay-directed bilingual film Ashaant (released in Kannada as Vishnu-Vijaya) and starring Dr.Vishnuvardhan, Ashwini Bhave and Ashutosh Rana. All of his films released during 1993, including Dil Ki Baazi, Kayda Kanoon, Waqt Hamara Hai and Sainik did not perform well commercially. In 1994, he played a police inspector in two films: Sameer Malkan-directed remake of Hollywood film The Hard Way, Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Rajiv Rai-directed Mohra which were among the highest grossing films of the year. Later that year, he starred in Yash Chopra-produced romance, Yeh Dillagi opposite Kajol. His role in the film earned Kumar his first nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare Awards and Star Screen award. 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 the year. In 1994, he appeared in 11 feature films.

The following year, Kumar played a dual role in Umesh Mehra-directed action thriller, Sabse Bada Khiladi, which was a commercial success. He proved to have success with the Khiladi series, as in the next year he starred in the fourth film of the Khiladi series, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi opposite Rekha and Raveena Tandon. The film was a commercial success. During the film's shooting Kumar was injured. He received treatment in United States.

Kumar played a supporting role in Yash Chopra-directed romance, Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor, for which he received his first nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. In the same year, he starred opposite Juhi Chawla in David Dhawan-directed comedy Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi, fifth instalment of the Khiladi series. Unlike his previous films of the series, it failed commercially. His following releases failed commercial and this caused a setback to his film career. In 1999, Kumar played opposite Twinkle Khanna in International Khiladi. The film turned out to be an average grosser at the box office. He 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 commercial success and marked his comeback.

2000–2006

In 2000, Kumar starred in the Priyadarshan-directed comedy Hera Pheri alongside Paresh Rawal and Sunil Shetty. The film which was a remake of Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, became a commercial success and proved to be a turning point in Kumar's career. He also starred in the Dharmesh Darshan-directed romantic drama Dhadkan later that same year. The film performed moderately at the box office but Kumar was praised for his acting. Rediff.com's review stated that he had proved that he is "director's actor" and that "he has worked hard on his role is apparent." In a review for Bollywood Hungama, Taran Adarsh wrote that "Akshay Kumar shows vast improvement as an actor. He is very controlled and handles this difficult role with sincerity." That same year, he performed some of his most dangerous stunts in Neeraj Vora-directed action thriller Khiladi 420, where he climbed a running plane, stood on top of the plane flying a thousand feet in the air, and jumped from the plane onto a hot air balloon. In a later scene, he is also seen being chased by a car, dodging bullets, jumping off buildings, and climbing walls. His character in the film had two names and his role received mixed reviews. In his review, Taran Adarsh wrote that "The actor does a great job in a role that has negative shades, but as a softie in the second half, he is just about okay. And that's mainly because he has been asked to do what he has been doing in film after film. Nevertheless, Khiladi 420 is amongst his finest performances." Sukanya Verma wrote "Negative roles and Akshay Kumar don't go hand-in-hand.[...] Akshay is ridiculously over the top and irritating to the core. However, he manages a decent performance as the sober and suave Anand." His first release in 2001 was Suneel Darshan-directed drama Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love. Kumar was praised for his performance in the film. Next, he played a negative role in the Abbas Mustan-directed film Ajnabee. While reviewing the film for Rediff.com, Sarita Tanwar termed Kumar the "surprise package" of the film. She added that he was "in total control as the bad guy." The film won him critical acclaim as well as his first Filmfare Award for Best Villain and IIFA award 2002 for Performance in a Negative Role.

His first release in 2002 was Dharmesh Darshan-directed romantic drama Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya. He played the role as a blind man in Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Shaarang Dev Pandit-directed heist film Aankhen. His performance in the film was critically acclaimed. Next, he starred in the Vikram Bhatt-directed comedy Awara Paagal Deewana. While reviewing the film for Bollywood Hungama, Taran Adarsh called Kumar "proficient." Rediff.com's review of the film mentioned that his sincerity and intensity seen in Hera Pheri, Ek Rishtaa -- The Bond Of Love and Aankhen "seems missing". His last film of the year was Rajkumar Kohli-directed supernatural horror film Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani alongside Manisha Koirala, Sunil Shetty, Sunny Deol, Aftab Shivdasani, Arshad Warsi, Aditya Pancholi and Armaan Kohli. The film was a remake of Kohli's former film Naagin and received mostly negative reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh wrote "only Munish[Armaan] Kohli and Akshay Kumar leave an impact." In 2003 he starred in Suneel Darshan's action film Talaash: The Hunt Begins... opposite Kareena Kapoor. While reviewing the film, Taran Adarsh wrote "Akshay Kumar is plain mediocre. The role hardly offers him scope to try out anything different." Next, he starred in Raj Kanwar-directed romantic drama Andaaz alongside Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but turned out to be a commercial success at the box office and the first universal hit of 2003.

In 2004 Kumar starred in Rajkumar Santoshi's action drama thriller Khakee alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai. Kumar played the role of Inspector Shekhar Verma, a corrupt, morally bankrupt cop who changes himself during a mission to transfer an accused Pakistani spy Dr. Iqbal Ansari (played by Atul Kulkarni) from a remote town in Maharashtra to Mumbai. The film and Kumar's acting were positively reviewed by critics. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in the film. His other releases included Dileep Shukla's crime film Police Force: An Inside Story. He starred alongside Raveena Tandon, Amrish Puri and Raj Babbar. The film's production was delayed following the break-up of the lead actors Tandon and Kumar. Upon release it received negative reviews from critics. Next, Kumar played Hari Om Patnaik, an IPS officer in Madhur Bhandarkar-directed Aan: Men at Work. He starred in David Dhawan-directed romantic comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi alongside Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. He played the role of Sunny, Sameer (played by Khan)'s room-mate who pursuits Rani (played by Chopra)-Sameer's love interest. The film received positive reviews. Taran Adarsh praised Kumar and wrote "Akshay Kumar is a revelation [...] he surpasses his previous work. His timing is fantastic and the conviction with which he carries off the evil streak in his personality is bound to be talked-about in days to come." His performance in the film earned him his third nomination for supporting actor at the Filmfare Awards as well as a nomination for best comic role. His other films included Abbas-Mustan directed Aitraaz and S M Iqbal's Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin. In the former, Kumar played against type as a worker wrongly accused of sexual harassment by his female boss played by Chopra. According to the directors, Aitraaz was inspired by National Basketball Association player Kobe Bryant (who was accused of rape by a fan); and the film's development began when they read about his sexual-assault case in the newspapers. Talking about the character Kumar said that it is realistic and could be described as a "new-age metrosexual" man. He added that Aitraaz was the boldest film he had done. In the latter he starred opposite Sridevi. The film was shot in 1994 but was released in 2004 after a delay of 10 years.

The next year Kumar starred in Dharmesh Darshan-directed romantic drama musical film Bewafaa opposite Kareena Kapoor. He played the role of Raja, an aspiring musician who pursues his love interest Anjali (played by Kareena Kapoor) even after she is married to Aditya Sahai ( played by Anil Kapoor). The film received mixed reviews from film critic but Kumar was praised for his acting. Anupama Chopra of India Today wrote that "Kareena Kapoor and Kumar stand out." Taran Adarsh wrote "Akshay Kumar does well in a role that fits him like a glove." Later that year he acted in Vipul Amrutlal Shah's family drama Waqt: The Race Against Time alongside Amitabh Bachchan, another Priyadarshan-directed comedy Garam Masala alongside John Abraham. Waqt: The Race Against Time was a family drama film. The film and Kumar's acting received mixed reviews. "Akshay Kumar is getting better with every release. The actor handles his part with complete understanding of the character and scores" wrote Taran Adarsh in his review. Vishal D'Souza wrote "Akshay shoulders an author-backed role, carrying more of the film's emotional baggage though he is distinctly uncomfortable in the soppy-weepy scenes." The films succeeded at the box office and his performance in the latter earned him his second Filmfare Award, for Best Comedian. His other films included Vikram Bhatt-directed action comedy romance film Deewane Huye Paagal and Suneel Darshan directed romantic drama Dosti: Friends Forever. In the former he starred alongside Shahid Kapoor, Sunil Shetty and Rimi Sen while in the latter he starred alongside Kareena Kapoor and Bobby Deol. Both of these films received positive reviews.

Kumar's first release of 2006 was Rajkumar Santoshi-directed drama Family - Ties of Blood followed by Suneel Darshan's Mere Jeevan Saathi and Raj Kanwar's Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. Next, 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. Later that year he starred alongside Salman Khan and Preity Zinta in the Shirish Kunder-directed romantic musical film 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. The film received mostly negatively reviews. Vidya Pradhan of Rediff.com called it a "bizzare movie." Though the film under-performed, his role as a shy, lovable nerd was praised. He ended the year with Priyadarshan's comedy murder mystery film Bhagam Bhag. He starred alongside Lara Dutta, Govinda and Paresh Rawal and played the character of a theatre actor. The film received mixed reviews and Rediff.com called Kumar the real hero of the film. The film was commercially successful. The same year, he led the Heat 2006 world tour along with fellow stars Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.

2007–2011

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." His first release, Vipul Amrutlal Shah-directed 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." Kumar's chemistry with lead actress Katrina Kaif also generated immense appreciation, with Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India describing their pairing as "refreshing." His next two releases, Sajid Khan-directed Heyy Babyy and Priyadarshan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa, were box office successes as well. In both of these films he starred opposite Vidya Balan. Kumar's last release of the year, the Anees Bazmee-directed Welcome, did extremely well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster status and simultaneously becoming his fifth successive hit. All of Kumar's films which released that year did well in the overseas market as well. Kumar appeared in a cameo role in Farah Khan directed Om Shanti Om. His role was listed as no. 3 on the Top 10 Cameos In Bollywood list of MensXP.com.

Kumar's first film of 2008, Vijay Krishna Acharya-directed action thriller Tashan, marked his comeback to the Yash Raj Films banner after 11 years. Although a poll (conducted by Bollywood Hungama) named it the most anticipated release of the year, the film under-performed at the box office grossing ₹279 million (US$4.4 million) in India. His second film, Bazmee-directed Singh Is Kinng in which he starred opposite Kaif was a huge success at the box office and broke the first-week worldwide record of Om Shanti Om, the previous highest figure. His next film was the animated film Jumbo, directed by Kompin Kemgumnird. The year also saw Kumar making his small screen debut as the host of the successful show Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi. He later returned to host the show's second season in 2009.

In 2009, Kumar featured opposite Deepika Padukone in the Warner Bros. and Rohan Sippy production Chandni Chowk to China. Directed by Nikhil Advani, the film was a critical and commercial failure at the box office. Kumar's next release was 8 x 10 Tasveer. Directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, the film was a commercially failure however Akshay Kumar won the Stardust Best Actor Award for his controlled and restrained performance . His next release was Sabbir Khan's battle-of-the-sexes comedy Kambakkht Ishq. Set in Los Angeles, it was the first Indian film to be shot at Universal Studios and featured cameo appearances by Hollywood actors. The film was poorly received by critics but became an economic success, earning over ₹840 million (US$13 million) worldwide. Kumar's film Blue was released on 16 October 2009. Blue received negative reviews and collected about Rs. 420 million at the box-office. His last release in 2009 was Priyadarshan's De Dana Dan. He starred alongside Katrina Kaif, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal. Kumar played a servant who plans to kidnap his owner's dog. The film received mixed reviews.

He then appeared in the 2010 comedy, Housefull, directed by Sajid Khan which garnered the second-highest opening weekend collection of all time. Kumar's next release was Khatta Meetha, directed by Priyadarshan which was an average grosser. The film received negative reviews. Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN called it a schizophrenic film. He also appeared in Vipul Shah's Action Replayy, which was a box office failure. The film received mostly negative reviews. His last film of 2010 was Tees Maar Khan. Directed by Farah Khan, the film received poor critical reviews and turned out to be a commercial failure.

In 2011 he starred in Patiala House and Thank You. His last film of 2011 was Rohit Dhawan-directed Desi Boyz (2011), which co-starred John Abraham, Chitrangada Singh and Deepika Padukone. He also co-produced a film with Russell Peters titled Breakaway (dubbed into Hindi as Speedy Singhs) which is reminiscent of his own Patiala House. Breakaway became the highest-grossing cross-cultural movie of 2011 in Canada. Kumar dubbed for the role of Optimus Prime in the Hindi version of Hollywood, action blockbuster, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. He took the dubbing role for his son, Aarav, and did so for free.

His first release of 2012 was Housefull 2, a sequel of his earlier comedy film Housefull. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was very successful at the box office. It was also a huge hit in overseas market and the biggest Bollywood grosser in New Zealand. Kumar's next film was the Prabhudeva-directed action drama Rowdy Rathore in which he played a double role opposite Sonakshi Sinha. The film earned more than ₹1.3 billion (US$21 million) in India and was a huge box office success, being declared a "blockbuster". Both of these films grossed over ₹100 crore (US$16 million) at the box office. Although the former film received mixed reviews; Kumar's performance in it was praised. In 2012, he founded another production company called Grazing Goat Pictures Pvt Ltd. Joker was reportedly promoted as Kumar's 100th film, but later Akshay Kumar clarified that the 100th film landmark had been crossed long before he even signed up for Joker. "It was a miscalculation on Shirish’s part. OMG is my 116th film," he said. Kumar kept himself away from the film's promotion due to differences with Kunder. Reacting to Kumar's backing out from the film's promotion Kunder tweeted "A true leader takes responsibility for his team and leads them through thick and thin. Never abandons them and runs away." He later deleted the tweet. His later release Oh My God which he produced and starred along with Paresh Rawal. It had a slow opening but because of word of mouth it picked up and then was declared a super hit.

His last release in 2012 was Khiladi 786, the eighth installment in his famous Khiladi series as well as the comeback of the series after 12 years. Although film was panned by critics it was a Semihit at the box office grossing 70 cr at domestic box office. His first release in 2013 was Special Chabbis which earned a positive critical reception and was moderately successful at the box office. Although the movie earned him positive reviews and commercial success, trade analysts noted that the movie could have done much better business due to its good content and Kumar's superstar status. Milan Luthria chose Kumar to play the character of Shoaib Khan (based on Dawood Ibrahim) in the gangster film Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, sequel to Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai. It proved to be a below average at the box office. The film was declared a "flop" by Box Office India. It received mixed reviews however Kumar's acting was praised by a majority of critics. In a review for Hindustan Times, Anupama Chopra wrote that Kumar "makes a stellar killer". Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India praised Kumar's performance and said that "Bhai act with flamboyance and mojo ... He gets a chance to do what he does best – herogiri (albeit less menacing, more entertaining), with charisma and clap-trap dialoguebaazi." Al Pacino saw the film's trailer and promos and admired Kumar's portrayal of Shoaib Khan, a gangster. He said that the promos and posters reminded him of his own The Godfather. Kumar said of Pacino's response: "A touch of appreciation is always held dearly in an actor's arms, even if it's from the simplest of people like our beloved spot boys. But to have your work spoken of so kindly by the world's most admired gangster Al Pacino himself – I had goose-bumps thinking about him watching the promo! I was so humbled, not only as an actor but as a fan of his legendary work." Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN criticised Kumar for his "in-your-face flamboyance". After the film's mainly negative reviews, Kumar lashed out at critics, accusing them of lacking an understanding of the audience and the basic ideas of filmmaking. Built on an approximate budget of ₹100 crore (US$16 million), it was the first major Hindi language film to be shot in Oman. Kumar received a nomination for Best Actor in a Negative Role at Zee Cine Awards.

His next release was Anthony D Souza's Boss alongside Shiv Pandit and Aditi Rao Hydari. The movie received average to good reviews however turned out to be a failure at Box office grossing 54 crore nett domestically. Kumar came back strongly with Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty. This action drama earned both critical and commercial success entering the 100 crore elite club and became the highest grosser of 2014 beating jai ho. The film received critical acclaim and is Kumar's third film to gross over ₹1 billion (US$16 million) at the box office. Kumar has sung a song for his recent film Its Entertainment. Making of the song has been uploaded on YouTube. His last film of 2014 was The Shaukeens. He appeared as himself and produced it. He played the lead role in the thriller Baby and Gabbar is Back. He has wrapped up the shooting of Brothers and, as of April 2015, is shooting for Singh is Bling and Airlift, the former of which is being produced by Grazing Goats Pictures.

Personal life and off-screen work

After being engaged twice to actress Twinkle Khanna, the daughter of actors Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, Kumar married her on 17 January 2001. Their first child was a boy, whom they named Aarav. Twinkle gave birth to their second child, daughter Nitara, on 25 September 2012. He is known as a protective father and keeps his children away from the media. He stated that he wants to "give them a normal childhood." In 2009, while performing at a show for Levis at Lakme Fashion Week, Kumar asked Twinkle to unbutton his jeans. This incident sparked a controversy which led to a police case being filed against them.

Kumar stays in shape with a combination of kickboxing, basketball, swimming and Parkour as well as working out. While in standard eighth he had started practising Karate. He intended to open a martial arts school and the state government of Maharashtra allotted land for the school in Bhayandar. In 2004, he was honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Award for his outstanding achievements in Bollywood. In the same year, he presented the television series Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar for free. In 2008, he was named the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People (India) magazine. The following year Kumar was awarded the highest Japanese honour of "Katana" and a sixth degree black belt in Kuyukai Gōjū-ryū karate. He was one of the 15 international celebrities invited for the Olympics torch-bearer rally to Canada. He became responsible to endorse the Canadian Tourism by sharing the duty of Brand Ambassador till the summer of 2012. In March 2013, he started a 30-bed cancer shelter for policemen in Naigaon. Kumar is a teetotaller but has endorsed for a liquor brand. Half of the sum was given for charity work. He has also donated ₹50 lakh (US$79,000) to Salman Khan's Being Human Foundation. As of 2013, Kumar has been Hindi film industry's highest advance taxpayer for six consecutive years. He paid ₹19 crore (US$3.0 million) as advance tax payment in that year.

In 1997, Kumar endorsed for Pepsi. He previously endorsed for Thums Up for several years. He had also endorsed for Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India, footwear brand Relaxo, Dollar Club, Micromax Mobile, Red Label, LG Electronics and Manappuram Gold Loan. On 9 August 2014, Kumar performed at his 500th live show. The show was held in O2 Arena in London as part of the inaugural function of the World Kabaddi League. His first live show was held in 1991 in Delhi. Kumar owns a team in the Kabbadi League.