Akshay Kumar is one of the biggest Bollywood superstars today. Over the years, he has enjoyed remarkable success in Bollywood. However, were you aware that the actor faced challenges and setbacks before achieving stardom?

He started as a lightman

Before entering the world of modeling and acting, Akshay Kumar worked as a lightman. In an old interview that recently surfaced on social media, Akshay shared, “Before becoming an actor, I worked as a light man with a photographer. I had clicked a lot of pictures of actors as a light boy, including Govinda sahab’s photo. I still remember how, when he was seeing his picture that I had clicked, he happened to look at me and told me, ‘beta tu hero kyun nahi ban jaataa, hero lagta hai tu (son, why don’t you become a hero, you look like a hero),’ and I was like ‘kyun mazaak kar rahe ho (why are you joking).’” As fate would have it, Akshay went on to become a huge star and even starred with Govinda in Bhagam Bhag (2006).

 Trained in Martial Arts

The actor, known for performing his own stunts, is skilled in Taekwondo, Karate, and Muay Thai. Notably, he hosted a mini-series titled “Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar,” which aired on the National Geographic Channel in 2004.

Worked as a chef

In addition to his ventures in the entertainment industry, Akshay Kumar worked as a chef and waiter to make ends meet. This period coincided with his training in Martial Arts in Bangkok, Thailand.

On the work front, Akshay is busy nowadays shooting for his much awaited ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. He also has ‘Housefull 5’, ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ among others in the pipeline