An overview of how Akshaye Khanna has become one of the most sought out character artists in today’s times with a range of characters whether it’s playing the antagonist or police parts among others
Starting from the year 1997 Akshaye Khanna has featured in over 40 movies as a leading man, second lead and character artist roles. As a conventional leading man Akshaye didn’t much have success with the song and dance routine: however, Akshaye has had a great run of form with layered characters where there is no baggage of a mainstream hero as well as a star kid. There was a significant gap of four years when Akshaye took a sabbatical 2012-2016 but the comeback has been resounding to say the least.
One of Akshaye Khanna’s most iconic characters came in the movie Dil Chahta Hai directed by Farhan Akhtar. Over the years the character Sid has become a fan favourite. The role is more mature in comparison to the ones played by Aamir and Saif. There is an understated romance to his scenes with Dimple Kapadia making the viewers wish that they had a happy ending. Akshaye Khanna especially stands out in the interval block with Aamir when the latter chides him for falling in love with a much older woman.
One of Akshaye’s biggest strengths is letting his work doing the talk rather than indulging in extra pr machinery. He comes and chews the scenery, then goes underground resurfacing again at the time of his next release. The perfect example of this attitude is the latest release Dhurandhar. Akshaye has received a lot of praise and rightly so for his fantastic portrayal of Rahman Dakiat. Akshaye has been called the scene stealer overshadowing Ranveer but there have been zero interviews from Akahaye about his show stealing turn. Of course this method doesn’t work for every actor as each has a different personality. Akshaye meanwhile has quietly moved on to his Telugu debut Mahakali amidst both the mega success and also the controversial exit from Drishyam 3. Akshaye Khanna’s attitude towards acting may appear non serious but the intensity which he brings on screen is terrific.
Akshaye Khanna’s Telugu debut Mahakali
In simple terms he has constantly reinvented himself with a variety of characters and is currently in the best phase of his career. Along with Bobby Deol Akshaye Khanna is another example of how some actors peak much later in their careers.
Following are some of Akshaye Khanna’s best performances across different genres
Much before the negative roles in 2025’s Dhurandhar and Chhaava Akshaye Khanna delivered some scintillating acts in the films Race, Humraaz and Section 375. All these come under negative/grey roles. In the first Race Akshaye played a calculative and cunning man, the character Rajiv Singh alternates between brotherly affection and scheming against his own sibling. Akshaye pulled off the different shades with finesse: his work especially stands out in the scene of Rajiv pouring out his frustration regarding his half elder brother.
In Humraaz Akshaye played a conman Karan Malhotra. Karan is very good at deception, and this is revealed gradually. The best part of Akshaye’s performance is the slyness with which he plays the role particularly in the second half when the malicious side comes to the fore. Much like Race this is also a character with simmering anguish. He starts off as an ardent lover before turning into a spiteful man. Akshaye pulled off this transformation in an excellent manner.
In Ajay Behl’s Section 375 Akshaye is defence lawyer Tarun Saluja. He played a shrewd layer fighting for a filmmaker accused of rape. Tarun is a firm believer in the quote “We are not in the business of justice; we are in business of law”. In short his ideology differs significantly from Richa Chadda’s Hiral Gandhi. This difference of ideological stance gave the movie some of its best moments. Akshaye Khanna simply chewed the scenery with his fantastic act. In the hands of a lesser actor the role would have become extremely detestable but the conviction with which Akshay uncovers the botched-up police investigation with the sharp arguments is a delight to watch. One of the stand out scenes concerning Akshaye’s acting is when the character is splashed with ink by a protester: this is followed by Tarun looking at his reflection in the mirror, the anguish in those eyes is very palpable. Yes, the politics of Section 375 is a bit slippery given the timing of the then Me Too Movement. The movie looks at how men can also be falsely accused of sexual assault but for Akshaye’s acting alone Section 375 is very much worth a watch.
Apart from wonderful performances in negative roles Akshaye has also aced cop characters in the 2017’s Ittefaq a remake of the 1969 one and also Drishyam 2. In Ittefaq the actor effortlessly switched between comedy and being serious: The way Akshaye’s goes about investigating the double murder case gives the movie its best moments. Whether it’s chiding his junior officers for indulging in tea during a crime scene or straightening out a colleague with just a piercing gaze the actor was simply sublime.
In Drishyam 2 Akshaye once again stole every scene that he was a part of. The cat and mouse game between him and Ajay is where the movie gathers momentum. A stand out portion is Akshaye visiting the house of Ajay Devgan’s Vijay Salgoankar. Akshaye doesn’t even raise his voice but the overall demeanour is more than enough. The actor brought in a certain authority in his interactions with Ajay and the family. Mention must also be made of the solid one liners: yes dialogues itself are first rate but Akshaye with his portrayal enhanced them further.
Apart from the above-mentioned parts Akshaye has also proved his versatility in comedy. These include the likes of Hungama (2003), Hulchul and Tees Maar Khan. In Hungama he played the role of Jeetu. An ambitious entrepreneur caught in a web of misunderstandings. Akshaye raised ample chuckles in the scenes of banter with the ever-reliable Paresh Rawal. In Hulchul Akshaye’s character falls in love with a woman from rival family, Akshaye’s scenes with Arshad Warsi playing a friend/sidekick raised ample chuckles. Last but the not the least there is Tees Maar Khan by Farah Khan. In this movie Akshaye played a caricature of a popular Hindi actor. It’s over the top by design but the gleeful abandon with which Akshaye plays the role makes the portions interesting.
This is all about some of Akshaye Khanna’s best performances and how he has evolved over the years. Here’s hoping the actor continues to shine and entertainers the viewers with diverse roles.
