Aaj (transl. Today) is a 1987 Indian Hindi-language film, directed by Mahesh Bhatt and produced by Kuljeet Pal. It stars Raj Babbar, Smita Patil, Kumar Gaurav, Marc Zuber, and Anamika Pal. The film featured songs written by the Hindi poets Sudarshan Faakir and Madan Pal. Akshay Kumar made his first screen appearance with this film under his birth name 'Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia', in a bit role as a Karate instructor. Kumar further stated that he later chose his official stage name as Akshay Kumar, after actor Kumar Gaurav's on-screen name in the film.