Akshay Kumar has embraced various identities in his long and successful career as a movie star. He has been an action hero and a saviour, a crackling comedian and a heartthrob. But in the 1990s, he attempted to appeal to his gay fans when he appeared on the cover of Bombay Dost, the country’s first registered gay magazine.
In a 1995 interview with Bombay Dost, Akshay, according to Mid-day, spoke about his heterosexuality, but also recalled his time in Thailand. “I was brought up in Thailand during my impressionable years. I’ve seen it all and I’m not telling you whether I’ve done it all,” he said coyly. The edition with the Akshay interview was subtitled Akshay on Gays, according to The Print, and featured a picture of the actor drenched in water and wearing a nose ring.
Bombay Dost was launched in 1990, and the Akshay interview happened a year after he starred in the…
