PremiumHappy Birthday Akshaye Khanna – Here are the versatile hero’s top 5 films that cannot be missed
March 28 is Akshaye Khanna’s birthday. The Khanna scion is bearing forth the performative torch given to him by his legendary father Vinod Khanna, with grace, class, and sincerity.
Last Updated: 10.58 AM, Mar 28, 2024
Unlike most other nepo kids, Akshaye Khanna has never run after a ‘cool image’ or a man with many projects per year. Careful and picky, he has always chosen to play different kinds of characters, from sharp cop to greedy villains to sweet boy next door. On his 49th birthday, let’s look at his top 5 films that showcase his acting range and merit.
1. Deewaar: Let’s Bring Our Heroes Home (Prime Video)
This 2004 film has been setting off patriotic vibes for 20 years now. Still a fascinating watch, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, and Amrita Rao in leading roles. The film follows the desperate struggle of Akshaye Khanna’s Gaurav to rescue his father Major Ranvir Kaul, played by Amitabh Bachchan.
Major Kaul had been imprisoned along with a bunch of other Indian prisoners of war in Pakistan for 33 years. When sheer luck aids a letter reach Gaurav and his mother, he sets off on an arduous and dangerous journey, to sneak in and rescue his father and other Indian POWs from Pakistan.
2. Drishyam 2 (Prime Video)
One of his biggest and most recent hits, Akshaye Khanna essays a tough cop, IG Tarun Ahlawat, who will do anything to wiggle the truth out of Vijay Salgaonkar and his family about Sam’s death, from the first film. From sending undercover cops as neighbors to installing microphones all over their house, IG Ahlawat is ruthless but precise.
It is only because he faced the fierce protectiveness and foresight of a father, else he would have easily succeeded in getting the Salgaonkar family to confess. A brilliant and nuanced portrayal that embodies the maxim - ‘less is more’, Drishyam 2 is worth a watch for Akshaye Khanna as well.
3. Race (YouTube)
The first Race film is always iconic for the twists in its plot and the great villain Akshaye Khanna played. Back then, Katrina Kaif was mainly eye candy, while Saif Ali Khan was doing his James Bond-esque thing. Bipasha Basu was nice, but Akshaye Khanna stole the show as Rajiv, the drunk, spoiled stepbrother, with ulterior and deadly motives, of protagonist Ranvir Singh, who runs a huge horse racing business.
4. Humraaz (Disney+ Hotstar, Prime Video)
The film stars Akshaye Khanna in another negative role, with him playing the character of Karan, the head of a cruise performance troupe, who intends to con the business tycoon Raj, essayed by Bobby Deol. To do so, he uses his girlfriend Priya (Ameesha Patel) and makes her marry Raj to claim his wealth after divorce.
But when Priya falls in love with Raj and wants to tell him the truth, Karan decides to take his own brand of revenge. The twisted romance thriller sees Khanna at his evil peak, ready to murder anyone to get Raj’s coveted wealth.
Also read: Will Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna reunite in Abbas-Mustan's Humraaz 2? Here's what we know!
5. Mere Baap Pehle Aap (Prime Video)
The 2008 comedy family drama is a gem of a feel-good film directed by Priyadarshan, that can be watched time and again. Starring the talented likes of Paresh Rawal, Akshaye Khanna, Om Puri, Genelia D’Souza, Archana Puran Singh, Shobana, Manoj Joshi and Rajpal Yadav, the film was a decent box office hit.
The film follows the adorable relationship between widowed father Janardhan and his son Gaurav, as the two navigate life, love, and friendships together. The film’s unique point is Gaurav’s ultimate desire to have his father married before him to fulfill the latter’s unfinished love story.