Akshaye Khanna Becomes First Indian Actor After Shah Rukh Khan To Cross Rs 2000 Crore In A Single Year

Akshaye Khanna has achieved a rare box office milestone in 2025, emerging as only the second Indian actor after Shah Rukh Khan whose films have collectively earned more than Rs 2000 crore worldwide within a single calendar year. The landmark has been reached on the strength of two major Hindi releases, Chhaava and Dhurandhar, both of which rank among the year’s biggest commercial successes.

Despite a career spanning over three decades, 2025 stands out as a defining year for Akshaye Khanna. Interestingly, both his appearances this year were in antagonist roles, and both films went on to dominate the box office. Alongside widespread critical appreciation, the actor has now entered a commercial league previously occupied only by the Khans.

The run

began in January with Chhaava, directed by Laxman Utekar and led by Vicky Kaushal. Akshaye Khanna portrayed Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the historical drama, delivering a performance that drew strong acclaim. The film proved to be a global success, collecting ₹809 crore worldwide and holding the position of the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 for much of the year.

His second release, Dhurandhar, arrived in December. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the spy thriller featured an ensemble cast including Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan and Arjun Rampal. Akshaye Khanna played gangster Rehman Dakait, a role that once again stood out amid a crowded cast. Powered by strong word of mouth, the film went on to become the most successful Hindi release at the domestic box office in 2025. As of now, Dhurandhar has earned ₹1167 crore worldwide and is expected to add more to its total by the end of the weekend.

Together, Chhaava and Dhurandhar have taken Akshaye Khanna’s cumulative box office earnings for the year to approximately ₹2001 crore.

Until now, Shah Rukh Khan was the only Indian actor to cross the ₹2000-crore mark in a single year, achieving the feat in 2023 with Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki, which together grossed ₹2685 crore globally. While Aamir Khan’s Dangal eventually crossed ₹2000 crore worldwide, it did so across two years and separate international releases.

Other stars such as Prabhas and Allu Arjun have come close, with Baahubali 2 and Pushpa 2 earning over ₹1700 crore each. Ranbir Kapoor may still have a chance with upcoming releases Ramayana and Love & War. For now, however, Akshaye Khanna stands alone as the only non-Khan actor to have crossed the ₹2000-crore mark within a single calendar year.