Akshay v/s Khans battle heats up

Apart from Shah Rukh, Akshay Kumar is now the only other male Bollywood star to have a guaranteed overseas box office following. His releases like 'Namastey London', 'Heyy Babyy', 'Bhool Bhulaiya' and 'Welcome' have all made it to the UK Top 10.

Says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, "Akshay is certainly hot property in the overseas market today. His films have done extremely well both in India and abroad and box-office collections clearly prove that in the overseas market he's one force to reckon with apart from Shah Rukh."

A film distributor reveals, "SRK has so far been the untouched king in the overseas market. But Akki's popularity abroad is soaring. His films are being lapped up by overseas distributors with ever-rising prices. Even his films like Dosti (No. 5 in UK charts) that have not done well here, have seen several houseful weeks abroad. So, that way he's a super hit hero and has been consistent in giving hits."