MUMBAI: Akshay Kumar is a superstar. The actor’s recent release Bell Bottom is working wonders in cinema halls and his fans are eager for the release of his next. 

Amidst all this, what’s making the headlines is news of the Ranjit M Tewari directorial being turned into a franchise. 

While we are awaiting an official confirmation about the same - we decided to bring you an interesting feature on the 'different film franchises' Akki is part of.

Akshay is the 'Khiladi Kumar' of Bollywood and this could be attributed to him being a daredevil who performs his own stunts and starring in several ‘Khiladi’ films. Did you know he has starred in 8 ‘Khiladi’ titles?

From Khiladi to Hera Pheri, Housefull and Jolly LLB, here’s a look at the different film franchises Akshay Kumar has starred in – in all parts or in one of the many they have. 

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Khiladi Franchise

Akshay Kumar On The Poster Of Different ‘Khialdi’ Films

The biggest film franchise this Bollywood superstar has been part of is without a doubt the ‘Khiladi’ franchise. The first ‘Khiladi’ film to star Akshay Kumar was the 1992 flick of the same name. It worked wonders at the box office and gave Abbas-Mustan a solid foundation in the Hindi film industry.

Since then, Akshay has done several more films in the ‘Khiladi’ series, including Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Sabse Bada Khiladi (1995), Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996), Mr and Mrs Khiladi (1997), International Khiladi (1999), Khiladi 420 (2000) and Khiladi 786 (2012).

Housefull Franchise

Akshay Kumar has starred in all four of the Housefull films. While most of the ensemble cast changed over the years – Riteish Deshmukh, Chunky Panday and Akki have been the constants. Though he doesn’t play the same character (in name or personality) it’s fun (not always) to watch him star in this franchise.

The films in this franchise include Housefull (2010), Housefull 2 (2012), Housefull 3 (2016) and Housefull 4 (2019). Reports also indicate a part film could very well be in the making.

Sooryavanshi - Rohit Shetty’s Cop Universe

We have seen Akshay put on the khaki wardi many times on the silver screen. While he impressed us in the past, he is all set to do it again with Sooryavanshi. This film is the fourth film in the Rohit Shetty cop universe after Singham, Singham 2 and Simmba. Kumar was also seen as Sooryavanshi during the last few minutes of the 2019 film starring Ranveer Singh in the lead.

Hera Pheri Franchise

While the ‘Khiladi’ franchise is mostly loaded with action, the Hera Pheri is one that will tickle your bones from start to end. Keeping the continuity of the character in both Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri, Akshay Kumar plays Raju, a cunning loafer who wants to make quick bucks, which lands all of them in deep trouble.

The movies in this Bollywood film franchise are Hera Pheri (2000), Phir Hera Pheri (2006) and Hera Pheri 3 (TBA). 

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE! Ajinkya Joshi aka Milind from Mehndi Hai Rachne Wali on how challenging it is to play a positive character: The actor has to feel nice to make sure he is sending good vibes to viewers via his character

OMG - Oh My God!

Released in 2012, OMG saw Kumar play God and Paresh Rawal essay the role of an atheist who owns a shop of Hindu idols and antiques. The film, also starring Mithun Chakraborty, Om Puri, Govind Namdeo, Poonam Jhawer, Puja Gupta and Mahesh Manjrekar; was loved by many and now fans are in for a treat as a sequel is the making. 

The sequel will star Akshay alongside Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam.

Singh Is Kinng and Singh Is Bling

Though Singh Is Bling is not the official sequel of Singh Is Kinng, the similarities - especially Kumar’s characters' personality and name, cannot deny that they could very be a franchise. For all we know, we might get to see Akshay put on the turban once more and make us laugh our hearts out as happy again.

Jolly LL. B 2

Officially titled The State vs. Jolly LL.B 2, this2017 black comedy was the second film of the Jolly LL. B franchise. The first film, released in 2013, starred Arshad Warsi in the titular role.

2.0

This 2018 science fiction-action flick starring Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson was a standalone sequel to the 2010 film Enthiran (Robot).

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!

Another franchise in which Akshay starred in only one of the franchise films is Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!. The first film, released in 2010; starred Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai and Randeep Hooda.

Bhool Bhulaiya 

While most of the above saw Akshay in the sequels, Bhool Bhulaiya featured the Khiladi star in the first part. A sequel is currently in the making and will star Kartik Aaryan in the lead.

Fun Fact: Interestingly, Akshay starred in both Aawara Paagal Deewana and Deewane Hue Pagal. Though they weren’t part of a franchise, they shared a very similar team, including its director, producer, music director, cinematographer and more.

On the work front, Akshay Kumar’s Bell Bottom hit cinema halls last week. He has several films in the pipeline, including Prithiviraj, Sooryavanshi, Bachchan Pandey, Atrangi Re, Ram Setu, Raksha Bandhan and Cinderella.

Also Read: Khatron Ke Khiladi 11: Shocking! Shwetha Tiwari exposes Divyanka Tripathi

Credit: Koimoi