It didn’t happen overnight and it didn’t come from any marketing strategy, but Akshaye Khanna’s return to collective consciousness has been refreshingly organic. Somewhere between memes and rewatches, a generation that didn’t grow up with him began paying attention.
For Gen Z viewers encountering Akshaye Khanna has been a ball to witness in light of the love coming his way for Dhurandhar’s Rehman Dakait. Besides Drishyam 2, Taal, Section 375 and some other outstanding roles, here are performances that explain why the fascination sticks once the scrolling stops.
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
As Sid, Akshaye Khanna played emotional restraint when Bollywood was still in love with grand expression. Watching it now, his performance feels less like early-2000s Hindi cinema and more like a template for today’s quiet leading men.
Humraaz (2002)
This is Akshaye Khanna leaning into menace without raising his voice. His performance works because it refuses theatrics and the danger comes from how little he reveals. In an era obsessed with loud villains, Humraaz feels like a reminder that control can be far more unsettling.
Gandhi, My Father (2007)
A deeply uncomfortable film, and a deeply committed performance. Playing Harilal Gandhi, Akshaye resists sympathy, choosing instead to sit with bitterness, failure and resentment. It’s the kind of performance that put him on the map and now, rewards patience years later.
Aakrosh (2010)
In a film driven by anger and moral outrage, Akshaye Khanna does something riskier. As a CBI officer navigating systemic rot, his performance is defined by fury and despair, all at once. This is acting that trusts the viewer to lean in.
Deewangee (2002)
In Deewangee, Akshaye Khanna plays Raj Goyal, a top criminal lawyer known for never losing a case, who is drawn into a murder trial that unravels into something far darker. Hired to defend to defend a man, who he eventually bails out, only to realise how he got played along the way. It’s a deeply complex web of lies and truths anchored by a memorable performance.
Ittefaq (2017)
This is perhaps the performance that best explains his current internet moment. As a cop who is investigating a complex murder case, where the culprit may or may not be guilty, Akshaye weaponises silence. For viewers raised on thrillers that reward stillness, Ittefaq lands like a rediscovery.
What makes these performances resonate now is that Akshaye Khanna was never chasing immediacy. And in a time when audiences are learning to slow down, rewind and look closer, that patience finally feels in sync with how we watch.