Akshay Kumar made his debut in the industry with the film Saugandh. Before that, he appeared in Mahesh Bhatt's film Aaj for just 15 seconds. In this film, he played a Karate instructor. He told the reason behind changing his name in an interview.
Akshay said- I changed my name because of actor Kumar Gaurav. He was the lead actor in film 'Aaj'. Do you know what was Kumar Gaurav's name in the film Aaj? Akshay… That's where I got my name. Many people did not even know that my real name is Rajiv. Once during the shooting, I asked on the set what is the name of the hero of the film. They said 'Akshay'. I said- I will also keep my name Akshay.
Akshay had told that as soon as he changed his name, his luck shone. He started getting offers for many films. Akshay's debut film could not do anything special. He got real recognition from the film Khiladi.
