Akshaye Khanna
Akshaye Khanna is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi films. Known for his acting versatility and strong portrayals, he has appeared in over 40 films. Khanna is often regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation in Hindi cinema. He is a recipient of numerous accolades including two Filmfare Awards.
Born to actor Vinod Khanna, he made his acting debut with Himalay Putra. His next release, J. P. Dutta's war drama Border emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Khanna replicated this success with the romance Taal, the comedy-drama Dil Chahta Hai which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, the comedies Hungama and Hulchul, the murder mystery 36 China Town and the heist comedy Tees Maar Khan. He drew critical praise for featuring in the thrillers Humraaz and Deewangee, the biopic Gandhi, My Father and the action thrillers Race and Aakrosh.
Following a four-year hiatus, Khanna returned to films with the action-comedy Dishoom and played an investigating officer in the 2017 thrillers Mom and Ittefaq, receiving further praise for playing a defence lawyer in the legal drama Section 375 and a cop in the crime thriller Drishyam 2. He then received widespread acclaim in 2025 for his portrayal of Aurangzeb in the historical action Chhaava and Rehman Dakait in the spy action thriller Dhurandhar; the films emerged as the third highest and highest grossing films of the year respectively.
Early life and family
Khanna was born on 28 March 1975 to actor and politician Vinod Khanna and his wife Geetanjali Talyarkhan. Khanna's father, a Punjabi Hindu, was an actor in Hindi cinema who died in 2017, while his mother was born into a Parsi family of lawyers and businessmen; she died in 2018. Actor Rahul Khanna is his elder brother and cricket commentator Bobby A. F. S. Talyarkhan was his maternal grandfather.Khanna attended Bombay International School, Babulnath. He then did his 11th & 12th from Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty. In an interview, he said that he was better at sports than studies. He never married.
Career
Breakthrough and early struggle (1997–1998)
Khanna made his acting debut with Pankaj Parashar's romantic drama Himalay Putra, co-starring his father Vinod, Hema Malini, Satish Shah, Johny Lever, Danny Denzongpa, and Amrish Puri. His performance earned him a Screen Award for Best Male Debut, but the film underperformed at the box office despite mostly positive reviews.Later that year, Khanna starred in J. P. Dutta's war drama Border alongside Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty and Jackie Shroff. Set during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, the film was about the events of the Battle of Longewala and saw Khanna play the real-life role of Dharamvir Singh Bhan. The film generated positive reviews, becoming the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1997. Border won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut in addition to his first nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. News18 noted, "Akshay Khanna excels in a role that was not only multilayered but also asked him to show the mood transitions with facial gestures only."
Khanna's final release of 1997 was the romance Mohabbat, in which he starred alongside Madhuri Dixit. The film received negative critical reception and was commercially unsuccessful. The following year, Khanna starred opposite Jyothika in Priyadarshan's romantic drama Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, in which he portrayed a rich person. Rediff.com stated, "Akshaye produces a good performance again. He's not a conventional looker but still appears charming." In the same year, Khanna starred opposite Urmila Matondkar in Raj N. Sippy's drama Kudrat.
Established actor (1999–2008)
Khanna's first release of 1999 came opposite Aishwarya Rai in Rishi Kapoor's directorial debut—the musical romance Aa Ab Laut Chalen. It was a below average in India but performed well at the overseas. His next film appearance was in Shrikant Sharma's romance Laawaris opposite Manisha Koirala. The film received positive reviews, but fared poorly at the box office. Khanna next starred opposite Aishwarya Rai in Subhash Ghai's musical romantic drama Taal, in which he played Manav Mehta. The film was highly anticipated by critics and proved to be the third highest-earning feature film of 1999, becoming his first commercial success since Border. Rediff.com wrote, "Akshaye is his usual self. Here he is endearing as a young and besotted lover who won't take no for an answer." Khanna's final film that year was Lateef Binnu's star-crossed romance Dahek in which he featured opposite Sonali Bendre as a Hindu boy who falls in love with a Muslim girl. The film proved to be a box office disappointment. Khanna had no film release in 2000.Khanna returned to films in 2001 with Farhan Akhtar's coming-of-age comedy-drama Dil Chahta Hai, alongside Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Dimple Kapadia. Khanna featured as one of the three friends named Siddharth Sinha, a quiet and reticent boy. It generated highly positive reviews, with critical acclaim, and emerged as a major commercial success. Dil Chahta Hai won seven Filmfare Awards, including a Best Supporting Actor trophy for Khanna. Taran Adarsh noted, "Akshaye Khanna conveys a lot through his expressions and that's where he triumphs. An actor par excellence, he essays this complex character with flourish. Sita Menon from Rediff.com wrote, "With the character's depth, Akshaye uses his voice and expression to optimum effect. He's a surprise. A pleasant one."
Abbas–Mustan's romantic thriller Humraaz, co-starring Ameesha Patel, was Khanna's next film release. He played the main antagonist Karan Malhotra, a convincing con-artist. It proved to be a major commercial success, and Khanna's performance drew critical praise. He won the IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role and earned nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Idlebrain stated, "Akshaye Khanna excels in his villainous role." That year, he also starred as a lawyer in Anees Bazmee's thriller Deewangee alongside Urmila Matondkar, another successful film at the box-office for which Khanna was nominated for the Screen Award for Best Actor.
In 2003, Khanna starred as an electronic salesman in Priyadarshan's romantic comedy Hungama, co-starring Rimi Sen. The feature became a box office hit with earnings of despite a mixed critical reception. He next reunited with J. P. Dutta to film LOC: Kargil, a war drama based on the events of the Kargil War fought between India and Pakistan. Khanna played the real-life character of Balwan Singh, an Indian army officer who is a part of the war alongside Preeti Jhangiani.
Khanna's first release of 2004 was Milan Luthria's action thriller Deewaar, in which he played Gaurav Kaul, the son of an Indian army officer who sets out to find his missing father. Co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Amrita Rao, it received critical acclaim but failed to fare well at the box office. In the same year, Khanna reteamed with Priyadarshan in the romantic comedy Hulchul, in which he was paired opposite Kareena Kapoor. The film proved to be a box-office hit. India Today wrote, "Khanna, one of the most underrated actors in Bollywood, keep the film moving with bang-on performances."
File:Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor & Akshaye Khanna at the audio release of '36 China Town'.jpg|thumb|Khanna pictured with Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor at the audio release of 36 China Town in 2006
After an absence in 2005, Khanna appeared in three films in 2006 — the first of which was Satish Kaushik's comedy-drama Shaadi Se Pehle, co-starring Ayesha Takia and Mallika Sherawat. Khanna's next role was in 36 China Town, a murder-mystery comedy co-starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor. The film featured him as a police officer, and proved to be a financial success with earnings of over worldwide. Khanna's final film release that year was Dharmesh Darshan's romantic comedy Aap Ki Khatir alongside Priyanka Chopra. It proved to be one of the year's biggest flops.
In 2007, Khanna acted in Nikkhil Advani's ensemble drama Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love, a romantic comedy, where he was featured opposite Ayesha Takia. The film received mixed reviews from critics and emerged as a major commercial disappointment. Rajeev Masand noted, "Akshaye Khanna as the groom-to-be who gets cold feet at the eleventh hour delivers a commendable performance." His next was Abbas–Mustan's love-saga Naqaab, in which he starred alongside Urvashi Sharma. The feature received positive reviews from audiences but turned out to be an average grosser. Khanna then took a leading role in Feroz Abbas Khan's Gandhi, My Father. The feature explores the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his eldest son Harilal Gandhi. The film underperformed at the box office, but was positively received by critics. Hindustan Times noted, "Khanna is absolutely inspired and gives the complex part all his conviction and intelligence. His breakdown scenes are especially heart-wrenching." In his final release of that year, Khanna teamed with Anil Mehta for the dance film Aaja Nachle, co-starring Madhuri Dixit, which underperformed at the box office.
Khanna's performance in the Abbas–Mustan-directed the 2008 action thriller Race, marked a turning point in his career. He starred alongside Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu. He played the main antagonist Rajiv Singh, an alcoholic person. The film became one of the highest-grossing films of that year with over, becoming Khanna's highest-grossing release to that point, and earned him Best Performance in a Negative Role awards at IIFA and Screen. Bollywood Hungama noted, "Akshaye is so perfect. To carry off a difficult character like this is a Herculean task and the supremely talented actor handles it with aplomb." Rajeev Masand wrote, "Akshaye Khanna delivers an amateurish performance by hamming through his scenes." He then reunited with Priyadarshan in the comedy Mere Baap Pehle Aap, co-starring Paresh Rawal and Genelia D'Souza.