Akshaye Khanna is having a moment again. With Dhurandhar drawing strong reactions and his fierce turn as Rehman Dakait winning over audiences, the actor’s nuanced screen presence is being celebrated across social media. Alongside new appreciation, old videos of Akshaye are surfacing too — including one where a young Ranveer Singh couldn’t hold back his admiration for the Dil Chahta Hai star.
A Roundtable Throwback To Ranveer’s Fanboy Confession
The clip in question is from Rajeev Masand’s 2019 Actors Roundtable, which also featured Shahid Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana and Vijay Varma. As the discussion opened, Masand highlighted Akshaye’s contribution to Hindi cinema during a transformative phase — with Dil Chahta Hai marked as a cultural reset.
Before anyone could continue, Ranveer spontaneously broke into Kaisi Hai Yeh Rut — grinning from ear to ear — before declaring that the Farhan Akhtar directorial “changed the landscape” and cinematic language of mainstream Bollywood.
Why Dil Chahta Hai Still Matters
Reflecting on the film’s legacy, Akshaye said the team knew early on that they were creating something fresh:
“The writing was so good, so new. Farhan was amazing. The credit goes to him.”
Ranveer, still in awe, added that stepping into a film so ahead of its time must have been a fascinating shift for any actor. Akshaye also revealed that he originally had his eyes on Aamir Khan’s role of Aakash — but ultimately trusted Farhan’s casting instinct.
Dhurandhar Brings Fan And Idol Together On Screen
Fast forward to 2025 — Ranveer and Akshaye now share the screen in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, which released on December 5. Featuring R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt and Sara Arjun, the film has been praised for its scale and performances.
Among the ensemble, Akshaye’s portrayal of the formidable Rehman Dakait has emerged as a standout, igniting nostalgic love for an actor audiences have always rooted for.
Dhurandhar’ Worldwide Box Office
According to data from Sacnilk, Dhurandhar raked in ₹42 crore worldwide in its first four days, pushing its global total past the ₹193 crore mark. The film has now outperformed the lifetime global collections of this year’s earlier hits — Sikandar ( ₹184.6 crore) and Thamma ( ₹187.59 crore).
