Akshay Kumar, who is returning as Bollywood's 'Khiladi' in an action film after 12 years, says he never thought he would star in another film bearing the same title. After a string of films in the series, which began with 'Khiladi' (1992), the 45-year-old star is eager to reclaim the tag with the film 'Khiladi 786', which releases on December 7 this year.

"I never thought I will be doing one more Khiladi because for quite a few years action films were out of fashion and I was also doing comedies. This is my eighth Khiladi film, that too after almost 12 years. You can call it my comeback as a Khiladi," Akshay told reporters here at the trailer launch of the film.

"I feel great about it. It had never gone away from me, I always used to take risks and it's great because the word Khiladi means a player, a sportsman. You can connect it with anything, so it's great coming back to it," he said. 'Khiladi 786' is directed by debutant Ashish R Mohan (assistant director in Rohit Shetty's 'Golmaal' series), and stars Akshay, Asin, Paresh Rawal and Himesh Reshammiya in lead roles. "786 means something which has to do with your destiny. Muslims use 786 as a substitute for the phrase 'in the name of Allah'. Khiladi 786 is an action comedy film which you will enjoy," Akshay said.