# Akshaye Khanna
**Akshaye Khanna** is an Indian film actor who works in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema), known as the middle son of the actor-politician [Vinod Khanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/vinod-khanna) (विनोद खन्ना) and for a career that has moved from 1990s romantic leads to acclaimed character and antagonist roles, capped in 2025 by the blockbusters *Chhaava* and *Dhurandhar*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Mumbai, 1975; middle son of Vinod Khanna, younger brother of actor Rahul Khanna[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) |
| Debut | *Himalay Putra* (1997), a launch film commissioned by his father; it flopped but led to six film signings on premiere night[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vinod-khanna-hired-director-for-son-akshaye-khannas-debut-film-his-problem-was-hindi-9729659/) |
| First awards | Filmfare Best Debut Award and a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor nomination for *Border* (1997)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) |
| Career peak | Filmfare Best Supporting Actor (2002) for *Dil Chahta Hai* (2001); widely acknowledged best performance as Harilal Gandhi in *Gandhi, My Father* (2007)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) |
| Output | 48 films in nearly 30 years; nine in his debut phase, 15 between 2001 and 2008, eight between 2016 and 2022[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/) • [4](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154) |
| 2025 revival | Aurangzeb in *Chhaava* and Rehman Dakait in *Dhurandhar*, two of the year's biggest blockbusters[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254) |
| Public image | Avoids interviews, gossip, and publicity; Karan Johar joked that even an Oscar would not make him step out on weekends[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254) |
## Early life and family
Khanna was born in Mumbai in 1975, the middle son of Vinod Khanna, a major Hindi film star who later entered politics, and the younger brother of actor [Rahul Khanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/rahul-khanna).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) His father left the family to join the Osho movement when Akshaye was five years old.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/)
His schooling was unsettled. He has said he flunked out of HR College and was sent to a boarding school in Ooty for classes 11 and 12, adding in an interview, "I'm not well-educated."[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/) Before his debut he trained at the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute in Mumbai.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/)
## Debut and 1990s career
**A father-arranged launch.** Akshaye was 19 when Vinod Khanna commissioned *Himalay Putra*, hiring director Pankaj Parashar and top technicians for the launch. Parashar recalled that the young actor's problem was Hindi, since he thought in English, and provided him a diction teacher while calling him a natural actor.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vinod-khanna-hired-director-for-son-akshaye-khannas-debut-film-his-problem-was-hindi-9729659/) The film flopped at the box office, but Akshaye signed six movies on premiere night.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vinod-khanna-hired-director-for-son-akshaye-khannas-debut-film-his-problem-was-hindi-9729659/)
Recognition came the same year with [J. P. Dutta](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-p-dutta)'s war film *Border* (1997), which earned him the Filmfare Best Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actor in 1998.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) His lead-romantic vehicles, however, failed one after another: *Kudrat* (1998), *Doli Saja Ke Rakhna* (1998), *Dahek* (1999), and *Aa Ab Laut Chalen* (1999). The exception was [Subhash Ghai](https://www.edgepedia.org/subhash-ghai)'s hit *Taal* (1999), which brought him recognition.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254)
## Career peak and transition, 2001–2010
*Dil Chahta Hai* (2001) changed his standing: his performance won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2002, and the film is described as launching both his and [Saif Ali Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/saif-ali-khan)'s careers.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) After it, Khanna built a niche in Abbas-Mustan thrillers and [Priyadarshan](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyadarshan) comedies, including *Humraaz*, *Hungama*, *[Hulchul](https://www.edgepedia.org/hulchul-2004-film)*, *Race*, and *Naqaab*, but never in vehicles built solely around him.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254) His cunning husband in *Humraaz* brought a 2003 Filmfare nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Villainous Role.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/awards/)
**Critical high, commercial low.** His portrayal of [Harilal Gandhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/harilal-gandhi), Mahatma Gandhi's eldest son, in *Gandhi, My Father* (2007) is widely acknowledged as his best performance, but the film flopped at the box office. After it, he chose solid character roles over lead-hero stardom.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) • [5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254) The stylish antagonist of *Race* (2008) restored commercial success: the film was the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2008, and his negative role brought him Best Villain awards.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/)
## Later career and revival, 2010s–2020s
The 2010s were marked by gaps. He had a 2009–2012 dip with eight flops, then a sabbatical from 2013 to 2015 that he described as "traumatic". Between 2016 and 2022 he made only eight films, with no releases in 2018, followed by a two-year hiatus in 2023–2024.[4](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154) He told *Mid-Day*: "For me, not working is the hardest part of being an actor. It is depression time," describing the breaks as forced rather than voluntary.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/)
The low-output years still produced his strongest late-career notices. He gained renewed attention for *Mom*, *[Drishyam 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/drishyam-2-2022-film)*, and *Section 375*, the last bringing a 2020 Filmfare Critics' Award nomination for Best Actor.[4](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/awards/) He also played scene-stealing supporting roles in the hits *[Ittefaq](https://www.edgepedia.org/ittefaq-2017-film)* and *Drishyam* with an almost-bald look.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254)
## By the numbers
The filmography is small for its length. Across nearly 30 years in cinema it comprises just 48 films.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/) The debut phase contained nine films; after no releases in 2000, he made 15 films between 2001 and 2008, including *Dil Chahta Hai*, *Race*, and *Humraaz*.[4](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154) The 2016–2022 stretch held eight films.[4](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154) On the commercial side, *Race* ranked fourth among Bollywood films of 2008,[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) while the 2025 releases *Chhaava* and *Dhurandhar* are described as two of the year's biggest blockbusters.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254)
## Acting style and public image
Retrospective coverage identifies his defining roles as the artist in *Taal*, the charming rebel in *Dil Chahta Hai*, the cunning husband in *Humraaz*, and the stylish antagonist in *Race*, framing him as an underrated powerhouse of Hindi cinema.[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/akshaye-khannas-untold-journey-from-star-kid-setbacks-to-bollywoods-most-underrated-powerhouse/articleshow/121576364.cms) His selectivity is documented in the numbers above, and so is his avoidance of publicity: he avoids interviews, gossip, and publicity, and [Karan Johar](https://www.edgepedia.org/karan-johar) joked that even winning an Oscar would not make him step out on weekends.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254) Several promising projects slipped away regardless of his choices: a Feroz Khan film went to [Fardeen Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/fardeen-khan), Farhan Akhtar shelved *Voice From the Sky* to make *Don 2*, and [Aamir Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/aamir-khan) eventually took over *Taare Zameen Par*, which Akshaye was supposed to do.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/)
## What has changed since 2023
After a two-year hiatus in 2023–2024,[4](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154) 2025 became a watershed year. He played [Aurangzeb](https://www.edgepedia.org/aurangzeb) in *Chhaava* in early 2025, almost unrecognizable under heavy make-up, and then Pakistani gangster Rehman Dakait in *Dhurandhar*; the back-to-back successes positioned him as a major star of 2025, though not in traditional lead roles.[4](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154) His *Dhurandhar* performance and the Fa9la song dance made him a social-media "national crush".[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/) He is set to reprise his role as Ikka in a sequel.[8](https://www.indiatoday.in/topic/akshaye-khanna)
## Disputed details
Sources disagree on some points of record. The release year of *Hungama* is given as 2003 by the *Indian Express* retrospective but as 2002 by IMDb, and the discrepancy is unresolved.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/) The debut film's title is spelled *Himalay Putra* by IMDb and *Himalaya Putra* by the *Indian Express*. The Filmfare Best Supporting Actor win for *Dil Chahta Hai* is dated 2002 (the ceremony year) by IMDb's awards page, while WION associates it with the 2001 film year.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/awards/) • [4](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154)
## References
1. [Akshaye Khanna, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/)
2. [Actor's superstar dad left him when he was 5... now he is Bollywood's most admired, Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/akshaye-khanna-superstar-dad-vinod-khanna-left-at-5-aamir-khan-stole-taare-zameen-par-from-him-dhurandhar-most-admired-10416502/)
3. [Vinod Khanna hired director for son Akshaye Khanna's debut film, Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vinod-khanna-hired-director-for-son-akshaye-khannas-debut-film-his-problem-was-hindi-9729659/)
4. [Akshaye Khanna is Aura King now, but why did Bollywood shun him before Dhurandhar, Chhaava success?, WION](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-is-aura-king-now-but-why-did-bollywood-shun-him-before-durandhar-chhaava-success-1765360002154)
5. [Why Akshaye Khanna Was Always The Dhurandhar Of Brooding Bollywood, NDTV](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-was-meant-to-be-ranveer-singhs-comeback-until-akshaye-khanna-walked-in-9853254)
6. [Akshaye Khanna - Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451379/awards/)
7. [Akshaye Khanna's untold journey: From star kid setbacks to Bollywood's most underrated powerhouse, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/akshaye-khannas-untold-journey-from-star-kid-setbacks-to-bollywoods-most-underrated-powerhouse/articleshow/121576364.cms)
8. [Akshaye Khanna Latest News, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/topic/akshaye-khanna)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1990s–2000s › Surnames K to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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