Akshay Kumar's 10 Most Underrated On Screen Performances

Akshay’s first critical and commercial hit after Khiladi which was directed by debutant Guddu Dhanoa. The actor’s timing with Amrish Puri as his father in the film was just perfect. The action sequences were of high standards as were the dances with Madhoo who provided the much comic relief.

A remake of the 1954 Hollywood hit Sabrina saw Akshay playing the romantic lead opposite Kajol in this Naresh Malhotra directorial under the Yash Raj banner. Giving him company was Saif Ali Khan, Saeed Jaffery and Reema Lagoo. This was his second successive hit of the year which helped him catapult to the top league.

Akshay ended 1994 on a high with this action comedy which had him teaming up with Ajay Devgn for the first time. His comedy sequences with Ajay formed the highlight of this Kuku Kohli directorial. Some of the tunes composed by Anand-Milind are still hummed on music channels.

A remake of the Hollywood hit The Silence Of The Lambs, Akshay’s portrayal as Professor Aman Varma was critically acclaimed and rated as one of his best performances in his career. Though the film didn't earn much commercially but it helped critics take him seriously.

Directed by Priyadarshan, this remake of the Malayalam blockbuster, Ramoji Rao Speaking got the trio of Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Sunil Shetty together. Akshay plays Raju who is out to make it big in life by any means to impress his mother. What follows is a comedy of errors and confusion. A must watch for die-hard Akshay fans.

Loosely based on the Hollywood flick Consenting Adults, this Abbas-Mustan suspense thriller had Akshay playing a negative character where he double-crosses his friend to become a billionaire. Akshay went on to bag his first Filmfare award for his role as a villain.

Vipul Shah’s crime thriller where Akshay plays Vishwas Prajapati, a blind man who gets trapped by Amitabh to rob a bank. Akshay stole the show along with Paresh Rawal which makes for one his most underrated performances in his career.

This suspense cop thriller directed by Rajkumar Santoshi saw Akshay at his comical best as he got the best lines in the film and romance opposite Aishwarya Rai. He was accompanied by a host of other big stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Prakash Raj, Tusshar Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Jaya Pradha and Tanuja.

Another comedy caper from David Dhawan where Akshay plays wicked Sunny who is out to play spoilsport to his sworn enemy by grabbing his girlfriend. The film saw the teaming up of Salman and Akshay for the first time which resulted in the film becoming a super hit.

Based on the fake raids carried out by some conmen in the 80’s, Special 26 comes in for a special mention for Akshay’s performance. Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the flick gave him the overdue recognition that he deserved.