10 things you should know about birthday boy Akshay Kumar!

Action King, Akshay Kumar turns 45 today and he is becoming unstoppable with every movie. His perseverance, hard work and never-say-die attitude have made him the undisputed action king of Bollywood. Here are 10 things that you should know about birthday boy Akshay Kumar.

1. Akshay Kumar's real name is Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia. The media fondly calls him Akki and his near and dear ones calls him Raju.

2. Akshay Kumar was born in Amritsar, he was raised in Old Delhi, later his family shifted to Koliwada in Mumbai.

3. Before joining films, Akshay worked in a restaurant called Metro Guest House in Bangkok to make ends meet.

4. Deedar, co-starring Karisma Kapoor, was the first film Akshay Kumar signed, but Saugandh was his first release.

5. Akshay Kumar has worked in seven films with 'Khiladi' in the title - Khiladi, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Sabse Bada Khiladi, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, International Khiladi, Mr and Mrs Khiladi and Khiladi 420.

6. Akshay Kumar's favourite cuisine is Thai and home made Punjabi khana. He also loves to eat Indian sweets and his favourite fruit is Mango.

7. Akki has sung for a Punjabi devotional album. The name of the song is, 'Nirgun Raakh Liya'. The profit made by this album were donated to the victims of the train bombings of Mumbai on July 11.

8. Akshay Kumar has hosted a martial arts documentary titled 'Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar' in 2004 for National Geographic Channel.

9. Akshay Kumar loves to holiday in Goa and Canada

10. Akshay's favourite movie is the Oscar-winning Italian classic, Life is Beautiful.