This film made Akshay Kumar a star, movie was inspired by Rishi Kapoor's classic, it had no buyers, was rejected by Ronit Roy, Arbaaz Khan; yet it earned..

Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, an outsider, entered Bollywood in 1987, and got a 10-second role in Aaj. Who knew that years later, the on-screen karate instructor will be called the "King of Bollywood". Well, we're not talking about Shah Rukh Khan, but Akshay Kumar. 

Akshay Kumar's initial Bollywood career

After Aaj, Akshay made his Bollywood debut as a main lead in Saugandh (1991). However, the movie was declared above average, and Akki failed to make a good connection with the audience. His next two releases, Dancer and Mr Bond, were an embarrassment at the box office and to his filmography as well. It seemed like Akshay would be a forgotten hero, but then...

Akshay Kumar's career changed after Khiladi

In 1992, Akshay Kumar headlined director-duo Abbas-Mustan's directorial, a mystery thriller, Khiladi. The film proved to be a breakthrough for him. Khiladi was loved by the masses and critics, and Akshay finally got his first major hit, that marked his arrival. 

Khiladi was based on

The basic premise of Khiladi is inspired by Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Rakesh Roshan's Khel Khel Mein (1975). This classic was itself an adaptation of the French novel Good Children Don't Kill by Louis Thomas. 

Khiladi was originally offered to...

Akshay Kumar wasn't the first choice for the lead role. Reportedly, Ronit Roy was approached for the film, but reportedly, his manager quoted a very high price, and thus he was dropped from the project. Later, the makers approached Arbaaz Khan, but he was committed to be launched by his brother Sohail with Ram. However, this project got shelved, and Arbaaz entered Bollywood with Abbas-Mustan's Daraar. 

Deepak Tijori was a bigger star than Akshay

During the production of the film, Deepak Tijori was enjoying the success of Aashiqui. He was reportedly the biggest star among Akshay, Ayesha Jhulka, and Sabeeha. Reportedly, fans would flock to Deepak for autographs, and would avoid Akshay. At that time, the makers would assure a disappointed Akki that after the film's release, he would be the new star of Bollywood. 

Box office collection of Khiladi 

Khiladi was a critically and commercially successful movie of 1992. Made in the reported budget of Rs 2 crore, the film grossed Rs 7 crores worldwide, and it became the 10th highest grossing film of the year. After Khiladi's success, it's been 24 years, and Akki continues to remain among the top stars of Bollywood. After the release of Singh is Kinng, he was also given the title of 'King of Bollywood'.