To know how Akshay Kumar brought in his 43rd birthday with friends, read on...

Akshay Kumar brought in his birthday last night with some of his closest friends. Wife Twinkle hosted a party at their Juhu home for the actor who turns 43 today. The guest list consisted of 14 of Akki's closest friends. Among those present were Sajid Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala, Vicky Oberoi and Vipul Shah.

An insider reveals, "Tina planned the surprise bash in advance, so that all of them could make it on AK's special day.

The preparations were on full swing as soon as the birthday boy left the house in the morning for the promotion of his Action Replayy." He'd taken the rest of the day off, even though he has been shooting for his TV show as well as Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan.

Family time

The source adds, "Akshay has a code he follows stringently. He never works on his birthdays no matter what the urgency. Because he considers it family time, and not a day to be spent in front of cameras, and the public.

He always informs his producers in advance that he will be unavailable to shoot on September 9, because he'd promised his son Aarav that he'd never work on that day." The annual ritual on his birthday is the cake- cutting with his mother. Every year he visits his mom and cuts the cake with her.

After spending time with his mom and son, the family man goes on a dinner date with his wife.