Akshay Kumar is a mega star today and has a huge fan following from across the globe. The actor is popular for his action and comedy genres and easily churns out three films in a year.

While we all know that Akshay Kumar’s real name is Rajiv Bhatia, little did we know the reason behind his name change or from where he got the inspiration from.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Rustom actor had made a special appearance in Mahesh Bhatt’s 1987 film Aaj. He was seen as a Karate instructor in the film.

While Kumar Gaurav was the film’s male lead, his character’s name in the film was Akshay. Highly impressed by this name, Rajiv Bhatia decided to adopt the name Akshay Kumar for his career as an actor and we all know where he is today.

Isn’t that an interesting tale?