Akshaye Khanna is doing very well again in 2025, and Farah Khan recalling something about him reminds us that how people are seen as celebrities changes. On Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, Farah said Khanna ‘wasn’t a nice person to be around on set’ in the 1990s, and then explained that she started to feel differently about him after they worked together on Dil Chahta Hai.
Farah Khan recalls 1990s experience with Akshaye Khanna
Farah Khan, who went from being a backup dancer to one of the most popular choreographers in Hindi movies, said working with Akshaye Khanna early in his career left her feeling ‘traumatized.’ She said he was very quiet but also difficult to work with, sometimes throwing things and getting angry about how he said his lines.
Because of how moody he was, Farah started to avoid being on any projects with him. She even said she sometimes made up reasons about being busy to avoid working with Khanna after those first experiences – she’s very open about how things work between professionals.
From difficult sets to Dil Chahta Hai turning point
Even though she was trying to stay away from him, Farah couldn’t refuse Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai. When she did work with Khanna on that movie, she saw a clear difference in how he acted. He was much more relaxed and worked well with others, not like how he’d been before.
Farah believes Khanna himself had changed after that film, saying he’d ‘become very easygoing.’ This change totally altered how she had always thought of him, and shows how time, what you’ve been through, and certain movies can change how people get along on set and what people think of them in the film industry.
Changes in Akshaye Khanna’s demeanor and talent
Farah also said Khanna is a good dancer, and praised his dancing in the song “Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe”. She said he had as much energy as others his age when she was talking about that dance scene, and points out that a lot of artistic ability comes with complicated personalities, especially when someone is at the beginning of their career.
She thinks Khanna’s earlier bad temper might have been from things happening in his personal life, including worrying about losing his hair. Farah’s story explains his earlier actions with more understanding, rather than just criticizing them, and says how personal problems can affect how someone behaves at work.
Akshaye Khanna’s 2025 comeback and Dhurandhar role
In nighteen ninety-five, Khanna was in movies that people liked and thought were good, including Chhaava and Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar. People in the audience and in the industry both said he was good in his roles, and this proves that actors can completely change their careers after many years.
Khanna isn’t in Dhurandhar for very long, only in a few short scenes from the past, but being in the movie has helped to create interest in it. This return shows how actors who have been around for a while can be appreciated again by carefully picking important roles in good movies.
Context: 1990s industry atmosphere and safety concerns
Farah used the podcast to think about the film world of the 1990s as a whole. She said that time was a problem for the industry, as it was still getting over a bad reputation from the decade before and dealing with worrying issues from people outside the industry which made things tense on the movie sets and at the first showings of the films.
She remembered shocking things that happened to people in the film world, including violence aimed at specific people and threats from the criminal underworld at film premieres. This history is why people in the industry became careful, and why people’s behavior on set could be stressful during those years.
Farah Khan’s memories give us a complete picture of Akshaye Khanna: a difficult young coworker who became a well-respected actor. Her story shows how time, what’s happening around you, and specific movies like Dil Chahta Hai can change what people think and how careers go in Bollywood.
