Farah Khan says she once avoided working with ‘constantly irritable’ Akshaye Khanna: Not a nice person on set

Filmmaker Farah Khan recalled that during the 1990s, actor Akshaye Khanna was dealing with hair loss, something that often left him feeling irritable.

Today, filmmaker Farah Khan shares a warm bond with actor Akshaye Khanna, who has been receiving widespread praise for his portrayal of gangster Rehman Dakait in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. However, there was a time when she avoided working with him, admitting that collaborating with the constantly irritable actor had left her traumatised.

Farah Khan shared that she called Akshaye Khanna immediately after watching Dhurandhar to congratulate him.

Farah on Akshaye Khanna

Recently, Farah appeared on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, which was posted on his YouTube channel. During the conversation, the filmmaker reflected on her experience of working with Akshaye Khanna.

She recalled that during the 1990s, the actor was dealing with hair loss, something that often left him feeling irritable.

Looking back, Farah said, “In the ’90s, I did a couple of movies with Akshaye, and after that I was traumatised. Because he used to be a different person. Yes, introverted, but not a nice person on set. Whenever I heard that Akshaye Khanna was in a film, I used to say, ‘I don’t have the dates’. I think at that time he himself had said that he was losing his hair. He was constantly irritable. He used to throw things and say, ‘What kind of dialogue is this?’ He used to be that kind of person.”

However, Farah said her perception changed when she worked with him on Dil Chahta Hai. She added that she couldn’t turn down the project as it marked the directorial debut of her cousin, Farhan Akhtar.

“He had completely changed by then. He had reconciled with his hair. In Dil Chahta Hai, he became very chill. Before that, if there was water or rain in a scene, he would always wear a cap, like see every rain song of his, such as in Taal. But after Dil Chahta Hai, something changed. And he is a brilliant dancer, if you watch Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe, he is dancing better than Aamir and Saif,” she added.

During the conversation, Farah mentioned that she shares a warm rapport with Akshaye, adding that she even called him immediately after watching Dhurandhar to congratulate him. She said that she called him and then went to his Alibag house, adding, “What I like about him is that he is not about the fluff, he is about the work. He enjoys acting.”

Akshaye Khanna’s resurgence

Akshaye earned massive praise for his performance in Dhurandhar. In the film, he played the menacing Pakistani gangster Rehman Dakait. Many viewers said that Akshaye stole the show with his act, with many getting obsessed with his viral dancing entry to Flipperachi's Fa9la in the film.

Released on December 5, the spy thriller is set in Pakistan. It features Ranveer as an Indian spy who infiltrates the terror networks based in Lyari. The storyline explores espionage, crime, and intelligence operations. It also stars Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and R Madhavan in pivotal roles. The thriller opened to an explosive box-office response. Its sequel, titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is set to release in theatres on March 19.