Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor and producer who made his debut with a minor role in the 1987 Mahesh Bhatt directed Aaj. He appeared as the lead actor in Saugandh (1991) before making his breakthrough with the suspense thriller Khiladi (1992), the first film of the Khiladi series. In the same year, he appeared in the Pramod Chakravorty-produced film Deedar. In 1994, Kumar earned his first nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare Awards for his performance in the Yash Chopra-produced romance Yeh Dillagi and starred in Mohra. The following year he appeared in Sabse Bada Khiladi. Kumar played a supporting role in the Chopra-directed romance Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), for which he received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. However, several other of his releases in the 1990s, including Lahu Ke Do Rang, Insaaf, Daava, Tarazu, Angaaray, Barood and Zulmi performed poorly at the box office leading to a setback in his film career.