Akshay Kumar, popularly known as Bollywood's Khiladi, has spent more than three decades in the Hindi film industry. Since making his debut with Saugandh in 1991, the actor has experimented with almost every genre, from action and romance to comedy and drama.

With more than 150 films to his credit, Akshay has mostly appeared as the protagonist. However, one of the biggest films of his career saw him take on a completely different role—a villain.

Interestingly, that film remains his highest-grossing movie worldwide.

Akshay Kumar shared the screen with Rajinikanth

Akshay Kumar's biggest box-office success is S. Shankar's 2.0, released in 2018.

The science-fiction action film served as a sequel to the 2010 Tamil blockbuster Enthiran (Robot). Superstar Rajinikanth returned as Chitti, while Akshay Kumar took on the role of the antagonist.

Akshay played Dr. Pakshi Rajan, an ornithologist whose transformation into a dangerous force sets the film's conflict in motion. His character unleashes chaos across the city before eventually coming face-to-face with Rajinikanth's Chitti.

The unusual casting immediately generated curiosity, as Akshay was stepping away from his familiar hero image and embracing a dark negative role.

Akshay’s villainous avatar was widely noticed

Rather than playing the conventional Bollywood hero, Akshay went all-out with the eccentric and menacing character.

His look, performance and transformation into Pakshi Rajan became some of the most talked-about elements of the film. Sharing screen space with Rajinikanth also gave the film a massive scale.

The movie combined futuristic technology, action sequences and visual effects to create a spectacle unlike most Indian films of its time.

2.0 collected ₹691 crore worldwide

According to Sacnilk, 2.0 earned approximately ₹691 crore worldwide during its theatrical run.

That makes it Akshay Kumar's highest-grossing film to date, with none of his other movies surpassing its worldwide collection.

What's particularly interesting is that his biggest blockbuster came not from a conventional Akshay Kumar hero role, but from a film in which he played the antagonist opposite Rajinikanth.

Akshay returns as a villain

Akshay Kumar is once again set to explore the darker side of his acting with Priyadarshan's Haiwaan.

The upcoming crime thriller is scheduled to hit theatres on September 11 and features Akshay alongside Saif Ali Khan.

This time, Saif will reportedly take on the hero's role, while Akshay will portray a psychopathic killer.

After the success of his villainous performance in 2.0, expectations will naturally be high to see how Akshay handles another negative character.

Will Haiwaan create another milestone?

Akshay has spent much of his career playing heroes, but 2.0 demonstrated that he can also make a powerful impact as an antagonist.

With Haiwaan bringing him back into a negative role, it remains to be seen whether the actor can once again impress audiences—and perhaps even challenge the box-office record set by 2.0.

For now, one fact remains clear: Akshay Kumar's biggest worldwide hit came when he wasn't playing the hero at all.