The fact that Akshaye Khanna is doing well again in 2025 has made people notice, but choreographer and director Farah Khan just reminded people that how we see famous people changes. On a podcast with Ranveer Allahbadia, Farah said Khanna ‘wasn’t a very good person on set’ in the 1990s, and went on to say how her opinion changed after she worked with him on Dil Chahta Hai.
Farah Khan remembers her 1990s experience with Akshaye Khanna
Farah Khan – who went from being a dancer in the background to one of the most asked-for choreographers in Hindi films – said she felt ‘shocked’ after working with Akshaye Khanna early in his career. She said he was quiet, but also hard to work with on set, at times throwing things and getting angry about what people said the lines were.
She added that the actor’s changes in mood made her stay away from projects that included him. Farah said she would sometimes make up reasons about not being free to avoid working with Khanna after those first times. Her words give an honest look at how people worked together when they weren’t being filmed.
From hard sets to Dil Chahta Hai as a turning point
Even though she was trying to avoid him, Farah couldn’t say no to Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai. When she at last worked with Khanna on that film, she saw a clear change in how he behaved. The actor seemed much more calm and willing to work with others than he had been when they worked together before.
Farah said Khanna had ‘become very relaxed’ after that film, because of something personal that had changed in him. This change changed her long-held view, showing how time, what people have gone through, and certain projects can change relationships on set and what people think of people in the film industry.
Changes in Akshaye Khanna’s behaviour and skill
Farah also said good things about Khanna’s skill as a dancer, praising his work in the song Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe. She even said his energy was better than that of his friends when talking about that part, showing that artistic skill often exists with difficult personalities when people are young in their careers.
She said Khanna’s earlier bad temper might have been because of personal problems, including difficulties with losing his hair. Farah’s story gives a reason for his past behaviour rather than just blaming him, pointing out how personal problems can affect how people act at work.
Akshaye Khanna’s 2025 return and role in Dhurandhar
In 2025, Khanna came back with work that critics liked, including being in Chhaava and Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar. People who watch films and people in the industry both praised his work, showing that actors can make their careers new again over many years.
Khanna’s part in Dhurandhar will be short, only in a few scenes from the past, but his being in it helped to make people excited about the film. The return shows how actors who have been working for a long time can be liked again by taking on certain, important roles.
Background: the 1990s film world and safety worries
Farah used the podcast to think about what the film world was like in the 1990s in general. She said the time was bad, with the industry still dealing with a bad name from the ten years before, and with worrying outside forces that at times made sets and first showings of films tense.
She remembered events that shocked the community, including violence aimed at people in the industry and threats from the underworld at first showings. This background helps to explain why people at work often became careful, and why behaviour on set could be strained in that time.
Farah Khan’s remembering gives a full picture of Akshaye Khanna: a difficult young person who became a respected performer. Her story shows how time, what is going on around people, and certain projects like Dil Chahta Hai can change opinions and careers in Bollywood.
