After receiving widespread praise for his role as Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar, Akshaye Khanna is enjoying a successful phase in his career. His performance left a strong impression on audiences, with many viewers praising him on social media.
He made his acting debut with Himalay Putra in 1997. The same year, J. P. Dutta’s war film Border became a major success and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He went on to deliver popular films like Taal, Dil Chahta Hai which earned him a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award Hungama, Hulchul, 36 China Town, and Tees Maar Khan. In 2025, he received widespread acclaim for his roles as Aurangzeb in Chhaava his highest grossing film and Rehman Dakait in the spy thriller Dhurandhar.
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However, acting was not Akshaye Khanna’s first career choice. Not many people know that he did not plan to become an actor initially and developed an interest in acting later. In an old interview with News24’s CMD and Editor-in-Chief Anurradha Prasad, Akshaye spoke about how his interest in acting grew over time and how his early dreams were different from the career he eventually chose.
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Here’s what Akshaye had to say when asked about his childhood career goals:
Bachpan mein you wanted to become a pilot, is that true? (As a child, you wanted to become a pilot is that true?)
“Haan, main kaafi saalon tak pilot banna chahta tha.” (Yes, for many years I wanted to become a pilot.)
Toh phir hawai udaan se yeh filmon ki duniya mein how come? (So how did you move from dreaming of flying planes to entering the world of films?)
“Nahi, but I always also wanted to be an actor. Main hamesha yeh excuse banata tha ki nahi, main yeh banna chahta hoon, woh banna chahta hoon, lekin andar se mujhe pata tha ki ek na ek din main actor banunga.” (No, but I had always also wanted to be an actor. I used to make excuses, saying I wanted to become this or that, but deep down I knew that one day I would become an actor.)
Kyun? Was it your ghar ka influence or was it your years growing up in the industry?
“Nahi, jab main chhota tha tab main apne pitaji ke saath kaam pe unke saath jata tha. I used to always be on the sets, outdoor locations. Jab bhi mauka milta tha, main unke saath jata tha and I used to love it."
(When I was very young, I used to go to work with my father. I was always on film sets, especially outdoor locations. Whenever I got the chance, I would go along with him, and I loved it.)
"I used to love watching him and I used to love the life that he used to have. So that definitely influenced me. And then as time went by, I felt that I could also do this and this is what would make me happy. This is where I could contribute something, where I could give my best and do something good. And after my 12th, I told my father and I told my mother that this is what I want to do, and they were happy. They were very supportive.”
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They didn’t say, “Okay, at least graduation toh kar lo,” yeh woh? (Didn’t they say, ‘At least complete your graduation first’?)
“Nahi, definitely unhone kaha, lekin I wanted to start working as early as possible.” (They did say that, of course, but I wanted to start working as early as possible.)
About Dhurandhar
Dhurandhar is written, directed, and co-produced by Aditya Dhar and is backed by Jio Studios and B62 Studios. The film stars Ranveer Singh along with Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi.
The story centres on Hamza Ali Mazari, who is later revealed to be Jaskirat Singh Rangi, an undercover agent sent to Lyari in Pakistan to break into a Baloch gang led by Rehman Dakait, played by Akshaye Khanna. After the film’s big success, the makers have already announced a sequel, which is set to release in theatres on March 19, 2026.
The film released in theatres on December 5 and has already earned more than Rs 700 crore worldwide in just two weeks. With this strong performance, it has crossed the lifetime collections of big films like Rajinikanth’s 2.0 and Salman Khan’s Sultan.