When Akshaye Khanna admitted to being smitten by Aishwarya Rai: ‘Staring at her like a lunatic…’

Actor Akshaye Khanna was once rumoured to be dating Aishwarya Rai for a brief period. However, none of them ever confirmed the speculations. However, Khanna once called her the 'sexist' actor in the industry.

Akshaye Khanna calls Aishwarya Rai ‘sexiest’

Years ago, Akshaye Khanna admitted that he was so smitten by Aishwarya Rai that he couldn't take his eye off. He said that it happened all the time when they met.

In 2017, Khanna was busy promoting his release Ittefaq with co-stars Sidharth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha. All of them joined Karan Johar on his talk show.

During the conversation, Karan Johar asked, "Who do you think is the sexiest girl in business right now?" To this, Akshaye Khanna instantly quipped, "Ash (Aishwarya Rai)".

“You just keep staring at Aishwarya Rai like a lunatic”

He further praised her by saying, "I can't take my eyes off her every time I meet her."

He continued, "It's embarrassing for men. She must be used to it (people staring at her). But I'm not used to not being able to take my eyes off somebody. You just keep staring at her like a lunatic."

Sonakshi Sinha also agreed with him. "Not only guys. Even I am not able to take my eyes off her. She is damn stunning," she said.

Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai

Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai worked together on two films-- Rishi Kapoor's Aa Ab Laut Chalen and Subhash Ghai's Taal.

Although Aa Ab Laut Chalen did not work at the box office, their chemistry in Taal is still remembered today. The film went on to win several awards, including three Filmfare. This includes Best Music Director (AR Rahman) and Best Supporting Actor (Anil Kapoor).

Taal 2 confirmed

Recently, Subhash Ghai confirmed Taal 2 is in the cards. The filmmaker told Hindustan Times that the script of Taal 2 is “almost ready”. However, the team is yet to lock in the lead cast who will be replacing Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor from the prequel.

Ghai said, "The post I shared has a question, and the audience will answer it. I have been facing this question for 15 years, ‘When are you going to make Taal again?’ Uss Taal ki jo energy hai, kitni powerful hai ki aaj ke Gen-Z bhi mujhe bol rahe hain Taal banaiye. But the easier the subject of Taal seems, the more difficult it is in reality. Uska poora script hum almost complete kar chuke hain aur abhi hum soch rahe hain yeh sahi samay hai, maybe we should make it. In order to make it, purity is very important."

"If you remember, Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai (Bachchan) were new in the industry when Taal was made. Isiliye woh purity screen par aayi. Anil Kapoor was a star and he was shown as a star in the film as well. After writing a good script the main responsibility is casting. Jo meri filmein nahi chali hain, uski wajah sirf galat casting thi," he explained.