By Sonu Tyagi, Founder, Approach Entertainment & Approach Bollywood
Mumbai, December 7, 2025 – In a year that’s already being dubbed “The Year of Akshaye Khanna” by fans and critics alike, the enigmatic actor has added yet another feather to his cap – or should we say, a razor-sharp dagger to his arsenal? His portrayal of the fearsome Pakistani crime lord and aspiring politician Rehman Dakait in Aditya Dhar’s explosive spy thriller Dhurandhar has unleashed a torrent of praise, with audiences and reviewers unanimously hailing it as a career-defining masterclass in intensity and subtlety.
Released just two days ago on December 5, Dhurandhar – starring Ranveer Singh in the lead as undercover operative Hamza Ali Mazhari – stormed the box office with a staggering ₹40 crore opening day haul, marking Singh’s biggest post-pandemic premiere and outpacing even Padmaavat. But amid the cheers for Singh’s feral energy, R. Madhavan’s poised gravitas, Sanjay Dutt’s raw menace, and Arjun Rampal’s slick villainy, it’s Khanna who’s quietly commandeering the spotlight. As the Lyari gangster inspired by real-life figure Rehman ‘Dakait’ Baloch, Khanna doesn’t just steal scenes – he owns the entire labyrinth of betrayal, politics, and retribution that Dhar weaves with surgical precision.
“Dhurandhar is a sprawling, muscular, politically sharp thriller that bites off a lot, and thanks to Khanna’s explosive brilliance, chews most of it successfully,” raves India Today, positioning the film as a cerebral evolution from Dhar’s Uri: The Surgical Strike. NDTV echoes the sentiment, calling Khanna “phenomenal” and “thoroughly watchable in all shades of emotions,” noting how he nearly eclipses Singh’s thunder with a near-silent, magnetic presence that loads every glance with unspoken threat. Hindustan Times goes further, anchoring the film’s three-and-a-half-hour runtime – Bollywood’s longest in 17 years – squarely on Khanna’s “brilliance,” crediting his chemistry with Singh for elevating what could have been an indulgent spy saga into a pulse-pounding revenge ride.
Social media is ablaze with fan frenzy, turning #AkshayeKhanna into a trending juggernaut. “Just watched #Dhurandhar and @AkshayeOfficial has delivered one of his best performances ever! Every scene is a masterclass in acting. Pure intensity. Pure brilliance,” tweeted one viewer, while another declared, “Akshaye Khanna steals every scene with his mind-blowing presence – he’s the scene-stealer from the get-go!” X users are even coining phrases like “aura-farming like crazy” to describe his effortless dominance, with one post summing it up: “Akshaye Khanna is quietly having the best run of his career. From Drishyam 2 to Dhurandhar, every film choice is spot-on, every performance leaves you stunned.”
This isn’t hyperbole. Khanna’s 2025 has been a slow-burn triumph, kicking off with his chilling embodiment of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Chhaava opposite Vicky Kaushal, where his “intensity and depth” drew similar acclaim for dominating the screen without a whisper of promotion. In Dhurandhar, he steps “out of syllabus,” as one reviewer put it, surprising even die-hard fans with a role that blends Shakespearean betrayal and gritty underworld tradecraft. “He has the most screen time, and he justifies every single bit of it,” gushes iDiva. “You’ve got to give it to him for being able to pull such roles, without making them look superficial for even a minute.”
At 50, Khanna – ever the recluse, shunning the red-carpet circus for the quiet thrill of the craft – has reminded Bollywood why selective stardom trumps relentless hustle. No OTT binges, no item numbers; just powerhouse picks that resonate. As The Economic Times notes, “Akshaye Khanna has proven that one does not need publicity to win hearts – pure talent is enough.” With Dhurandhar‘s sequel already teased for March 2026 and whispers of more meaty roles in the pipeline, 2025 isn’t just his year – it’s his empire.
For Approach Bollywood, this is more than a win for Khanna; it’s a reminder that true legends don’t chase trends – they redefine them. Catch Dhurandhar in theatres now, if only to witness the quiet storm that’s rewriting Hindi cinema’s power dynamics.
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