Bollywood actor Akshaye Khanna has had an impressive 2025 with Chhaava, in which he played Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb opposite Vicky Kaushal. Later in the second half of the year, he starred in Aditya Dhar’s second directorial, Dhurandhar, alongside Ranveer Singh, where his fierce portrayal of Pakistani gangster Rehman Dakait won praise from netizens.
Akshaye Khanna Becomes Second Indian Actor To Cross ₹2000 Cr In A Year
Both films performed exceptionally well at the box office. Chhaava crossed Rs 800 crore worldwide, emerging as the third-highest-grossing Indian film of 2025, while Dhurandhar, released on December 5 and still running in theaters, has crossed the Rs 1,100 crore mark globally.
With Dhurandhar now featuring among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, Akshaye Khanna has become the second Indian actor after Shah Rukh Khan to cross Rs 2,000 crore at the box office in a single year.
Akshaye has now entered a commercial league previously occupied only by the Khans. Until now, only Shah Rukh Khan had crossed the Rs 2,000-crore mark in a single year, with his 2023 releases Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki collectively grossing Rs 2,685 crore worldwide.
While Aamir Khan’s Dangal eventually crossed Rs 2,000 crore globally, it achieved the feat across two years and staggered international releases.
Akshaye Khanna Beats Prabhas, Allu Arjun
Apart from them, other stars such as Prabhas and Allu Arjun have come close, with Baahubali 2 and Pushpa 2 earning over Rs 1,700 crore each. Ranbir Kapoor may still have a chance to join the elite club with his upcoming releases Ramayana and Love & War.
Akshaye Khanna Drishyam 3 Controversy
Reports had earlier claimed that Akshaye walked out of Drishyam 3 over a remuneration demand of Rs 21 crore following the success of Dhurandhar, along with a request for a hair wig. However, producer Kumar Mangat Pathak confirmed Akshaye's exit while clarifying that the actor did not quit Drishyam 2 after the success of Dhurandhar.
Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak has also sent a legal notice to Akshaye over the losses he claims to have incurred, stating that bringing Jaideep Ahlawat on board for Drishyam 3 required rewriting the script to introduce a new character, which cost him over Rs 1 crore.
Despite the setback, Drishyam 3 is expected to move ahead with Ajay Devgn in the lead, while Jaideep's role will be introduced as a new character rather than a replacement.
It is set to release on October 2, 2026, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti.
