2025 turned out to be a strong comeback year for Akshaye Khanna. He impressed audiences with his role in Chhaava alongside Vicky Kaushal, and followed it up with Dhurandhar starring Ranveer Singh. While fans and critics praised his performances, some from the industry took a trip down memory lane—recalling what he was like to work with in the 90s.
One of them is filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan, who didn’t hold back while sharing her experience.
“He wasn’t very nice back then”
Farah, who has been part of the industry for decades—from being a background dancer to directing films like Om Shanti Om—revealed that working with Akshaye Khanna in the 90s wasn’t easy.
In a recent chat with Ranveer Allahbadia, she admitted she was “traumatised” after collaborating with him on a couple of projects. According to her, he was quite different back then—introverted, but also difficult to deal with on set.
She even shared that she would avoid projects if she found out he was part of them, sometimes making excuses about not having dates.
What was going on?
Farah also mentioned that Akshaye was dealing with personal struggles at the time, including hair loss, which may have affected his mood. She recalled that he would sometimes lose his temper on set—throwing things and questioning dialogues.
A complete turnaround
Things changed when they worked together on Dil Chahta Hai, directed by Farhan Akhtar. Despite her earlier hesitation, Farah couldn’t turn down the project—and that decision shifted her perspective.
She noticed a completely different side of Akshaye. He seemed more relaxed, more at peace, and far easier to work with.
In fact, she even praised his dancing skills, saying he outperformed co-stars Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan in the song Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe.
What’s next
Akshaye Khanna is set to appear again in Dhurandhar, although his role this time will reportedly be limited to a few flashback scenes.
The takeaway
Farah Khan’s story shows how people can change over time. While her early experiences with Akshaye Khanna weren’t great, she later saw a completely different, more grounded version of him—both personally and professionally.