Highlights:
- Journalist revives old awards clip to criticize Akshaye Khanna
- Comment sparks backlash as fans defend the actor online
- Dhurandhar earns about $116 million globally in just 20 days
- Film faces both praise and political criticism
- Sequel Dhurandhar: Part 2 set for March 2026 release
Dhurandhar continues to dominate box office charts and online conversations, but the film’s massive success has also reignited controversy—this time centered on actor Akshaye Khanna.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar has earned an estimated $116 million worldwide within 20 days of release. In India alone, the film collected about $2.4 million on its third Wednesday. While many viewers have praised the film’s scale, execution, and Ranveer Singh’s performance, others have criticized it as a “well-made propaganda film,” with actor Hrithik Roshan publicly disagreeing with its political undertones.
Amid the ongoing debate, a journalist sparked a fresh storm on social media by taking aim at Akshaye Khanna, whose performance has been widely appreciated and who has gained renewed popularity following the viral song “FA9LA.”
The journalist reshared a throwback video originally posted by Filmfare, showing Akshaye Khanna accepting the Best Male Debut award for Border (1997) at the 43rd Filmfare Awards. The original caption read: “Akshaye Khanna humbly accepts his debut award at the 43rd Filmfare Awards.”
Mocking that caption, the journalist wrote on Instagram, “He was not at all humble or self-effacing when he accepted the award.” He further added, “Poor Sandhya asked him a question and he snapped back asking why this should be a question-and-answer session.”
Screenshots of the Instagram story quickly circulated across platforms, including Reddit, where users largely pushed back against the criticism and defended the actor.
One user commented, “Mr no PR gang strikes again.” Another wrote, “Dhurandhar’s success has really angered some people, especially Akshaye and Ranveer’s rivals. They’re so jealous of this massive success. I wonder what will happen when Dhurandhar Part 2 comes out.”
Several users pointed to Akshaye Khanna’s reserved and introverted personality, arguing that his behavior in the clip was being misunderstood. “Wasn’t he right to ask that question? It was an award acceptance, not an interview,” one user wrote. Another added, “Everyone knows Akshaye Khanna is straightforward. He never claims to be humble.”
Akshaye Khanna has not publicly responded to the criticism or commented on the film’s box office success. Known for keeping a low profile, the actor has largely stayed away from promotional appearances and social media.
Despite the controversy, Dhurandhar has emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025, surpassing the lifetime earnings of Animal and becoming the highest-grossing A-rated Indian film worldwide.
The film stars Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun. A sequel, Dhurandhar: Part 2, is scheduled for theatrical release on March 19, 2026.
As debates around the film and its cast continue online, Dhurandhar’s box office momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
