With Akshaye Khanna commanding attention for his role in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, fans have been revisiting some of the actor’s best on-screen moments — and a throwback from years past perfectly captures his understated charm. The memory comes from Rajeev Masand’s 2019 Actors Roundtable, where Akshaye appeared alongside Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Vijay Varma.
The two actors, who now share the screen in Dhurandhar, allegedly first met during this roundtable, and their dynamic was instantly memorable. Ranveer’s energy contrasted pretty well with Akshaye’s introverted nature. Throughout the conversation, Ranveer was visibly in awe of Akshaye, whose Dil Chahta Hai (2001) character still holds cult status among audiences and Ranveer himself.
Ranveer’s fan moment on camera
During the discussion, Rajeev set the tone by reminding Akshaye that he had entered the industry during a major creative shift in Hindi cinema. Rajeev said, “Akshaye, you're probably the most experienced of the group. You've been making movies for longer than the others have. Infact you started just when sort of Hindi cinema was going through that really exciting change when there was that whole tectonic change taking place, and Dil Chahta Hai, your film, was in fact the marker.”
{{/usCountry}}During the discussion, Rajeev set the tone by reminding Akshaye that he had entered the industry during a major creative shift in Hindi cinema. Rajeev said, “Akshaye, you're probably the most experienced of the group. You've been making movies for longer than the others have. Infact you started just when sort of Hindi cinema was going through that really exciting change when there was that whole tectonic change taking place, and Dil Chahta Hai, your film, was in fact the marker.”
{{/usCountry}}At this point, Ranveer burst into an impromptu rendition of Kaisi Hai Yeh Rut, one of the film’s most iconic songs. Wrapping up his one-man performance, he said, “I would totally like to put this on the table — it changed the landscape of Hindi films as the syntax.”
Akshaye reveals the role he actually wanted to play
Rajeev then asked if the team behind Dil Chahta Hai had realised at the time that they were creating something groundbreaking. “Did you know, though, at the time, that this was something different…that you were doing something different?” he asked.
Akshaye replied modestly, “Ya you get the sense of that, definitely. The writing was so good and so fresh and Farhan was just amazing. I think the credit of Dil Chahta Hai goes to him totally. I don't know why he's not made another one.”
Ranveer, still clearly captivated, added, “But what really intrigues me is as an actor stepping into a film like Dil Chahta Hai — something that you could say has never ever been made before, you know, in that cinematic language, yeah, in that syntax.”
Akshaye also revealed that he had initially wanted to play a different role. When asked who he wanted to play, the actor smiled and said, “No, no, I wanted to play the character of Aamir, but Farhan said, no, I've written this for you. So I was like, OK.”
About Dhurandhar
Years later, Ranveer and Akshaye finally came together on-screen in Dhurandhar, where Akshaye plays Rehman Dakait, and Ranveer leads an ensemble cast that also features Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, and Sara Arjun. Their on-screen pairing feels like a full-circle moment for fans who remember that charming 2019 exchange.