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4 underrated Akshay Kumar films on Netflix to revisit on actor’s birthday
As the veteran actor celebrated his birthday today, we list down some underrated Akshay Kumar films on Netflix that cinema lovers shouldn’t miss.
September 9, marks the day when Akshay Kuma was born as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia in Delhi. Khiladi Kumar is one of those talented artists who makes sure to entertain the audience with multiple movies every year.
However, there are a handful of underrated Akshay Kumar films on Netflix that didn’t get their fair share of lauds from the viewers. Hence, on his birthday, we dug up four films that one should binge-watch today.
4 underrated Akshay Kumar films on Netflix to enjoy on his big day:
1. Gabbar Is Back
- Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti Haasan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Chitrangada Singh
- Director: Krish Jagarlamudi
- IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
- Movie Genre: Action/Drama
- Release year: 2015
Those cinema buffs who haven’t watched Gabbar Is Back would ponder if the title is inspired by Amjad Khan’s character Gabbar Singh from the 1975 film Sholay. Well, in the cult classic, the antagonist wreaked havoc and terrorized the people of Ramgarh. However, in this Akshay Kumar movie, the character decided to adopt the name as he set on a mission to target and eradicate corruption from the country.
It’s an official remake of filmmaker A. R. Murugadoss's 2002 Tamil film titled Ramanaa. Even though it has been years since the movie hit theaters in May 2015, it became one of the most-rewatched movies of the birthday boy. Well, if you still haven’t watched this underrated Akshay Kumar film on Netflix, then take this as a sign.
2. Pad Man
- Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
- Director: R. Balki
- IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
- Movie Genre: Drama
- Release year: 2018
Pad Man is a film that started a conversation around a woman’s menstruation and made everyone aware of the need for menstrual hygiene. Inspired by the life of Coimbatore-based social activist and entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, it narrated how the determined and focused individual made low-cost sanitary pads for women in rural areas despite getting close to no support from his peers and society.
Akshay’s writer wife Twinkle Khanna also spoke about his journey in her novel, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. It won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues. Isn’t this enough proof that you should watch this underrated Akshay Kumar film on Netflix ASAP?
3. Sooryavanshi
- Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Jackie Shroff, Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh, Gulshan Grover
- Director: Rohit Shetty
- IMDB Rating: 5.9/10
- Movie Genre: Action/Thriller
- Release year: 2021
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for businesses to flourish, Akshay Kumar remained dedicated to his craft and kept himself busy. The action film titled Sooryavanshi was initially locked to release in March 2020 and it was later shifted to the start of 2021. However, due to the spread of the fatal virus in India, it was again postponed. After hitting multiple roadblocks, the movie finally hit theaters in November 2021, coinciding with Diwali.
Since the mass entertainer was released post-lockdown, the highly anticipated movie didn’t get the business as expected by the makers. Moreover, the film, which was co-produced by Karan Johar, also failed to attract as many cinema lovers as expected to the cinema halls. But thankfully, it is now available on Netflix. How about giving it the attention it deserves?
4. Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue
- Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra,
- Director: Tinu Suresh Desai
- IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
- Movie Genre: Thriller/ Action
- Release year: 2023
Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue was released theatrically last year. It showcases the life and struggles of a brave and diligent mining engineer from IIT Dhanbad, Jaswant Singh Gill, and is based on the Raniganj Coalfields collapse of 1989 in West Bengal. The individual was able to rescue 65 trapped miners in the flooded Raniganj Coalfields, decades ago.
Despite it telling the tale of the valor and courage of the engineer, it didn’t grab enough eyeballs and witnessed empty seats in cinema halls. Even though some couldn’t understand the importance of the story, it is something that should be known by one and all. Now, since it’s available on the streaming platform, one should definitely give it a watch with everyone in their family as this disaster thriller film is one for the history books!
In the past decades of being associated with the Indian film industry, Akshay Kamar has delivered more than 150 movies. While many of them received thunderous applause from movie buffs, some like Gabbar Is Back, Pad Man, Mission Raniganj, and Sooryavanshi didn’t receive their due despite telling great stories and showcasing Akki at his best. But since they are currently streaming on Netflix, the actor’s birthday is a perfect occasion to watch and rewatch them.
Apart from these four, do you feel there are any other movies from Kumar’s filmography that remain underrated? Let us know in the comments section and for more such interesting content, follow Pinkvilla.
ALSO READ: 12 Best Akshay Kumar movies that will never fail to entertain: Housefull, Pad Man to Hera Pheri
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