With Chhaava and especially Dhurandhar, where he played the chilling Rehman dakait, Akshaye Khanna has gone from respected actor to full-blown obsession. Fans cannot stop talking about his screen presence,
his menace, and yes, how striking he looks. Social media is filled with posts crushing over him, praising his acting range, and calling him the surprise standout of the year. But here’s the thing. Akshaye Khanna was always a crush. Long before he became the industry’s most talked-about comeback star, he had already caught the attention of Bollywood insiders and A-listers. Including a young Kareena Kapoor. In an excerpt from the book Kareena Kapoor: The Style Diary of a Bollywood Diva by Rochelle Pinto, Kareena once admitted that Akshaye Khanna had her completely starstruck. At the time, Kareena was still a teenager, tagging along to film sets with her sister Karisma Kapoor, soaking in the magic of the movies before she herself became a star. She wrote, “Because of our six-year age gap, I was still a child when Lolo joined the movies. But I’d accompany her to the sets as often as I could. Which basically meant as often as my mom would allow me! I couldn’t wait to get a chance to visit the set and watch all the drama and fun that went on behind the scenes. Lolo was the sexy new actress being romanced by all the hottest male stars of that time, always the centre of attention. We’d go absolutely crazy spotting all our favourite heroes.” Among those heroes, one stood out for Kareena more than the rest. She admitted without hesitation, “I had a huge crush on Akshaye Khanna at the time, and would literally blush from head to toe whenever he was around. I was so starry-eyed at that time, but the famous Kareena confidence gene didn’t stop me from telling anyone who’d listen that I was also going to be as famous an actress one day.”
Akshaye Khanna will return in Dhurandhar 2, with his character Rehman Dakait coming back after strong audience response. The sequel is set to release on 19 March 2026. Kareena Kapoor Khan’s next film is Daayra, a crime drama directed by Meghna Gulzar and co-starring Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film was completed in late 2025 and is expected to release in 2026.
