In a rare and refreshingly honest throwback, Dhurandhar actor Akshaye Khanna once spoke about the uncertain, often uncomfortable beginnings of his Bollywood journey, admitting that his early years were marked more by confusion than confidence.
Unlike many star kids who arrive with swagger and certainty, Akshaye’s entry into films was quiet, hesitant, and shaped by trial and error.
“I got very little success in the beginning. I did wrong movies, I chose wrong scripts. So there was a mess,” he admitted candidly, acknowledging that the early phase of his career did not unfold the way he had imagined. Yet, even in hindsight, he remained clear about one thing. “I never tried to copy anyone. How did you come to copying?” he said, underlining his instinct to follow his own path, even when it cost him momentum.
Born into a legendary film family, Akshaye was often assumed to have been groomed for stardom. But that assumption, he clarified, could not be further from the truth. “No, no one encouraged me,” he revealed when asked about his father Vinod Khanna’s role in his decision. “He wanted me to go ahead and study more.” Acting was not a push from home, but a pull from within.
That clarity, however, came early. “When I was 15–16 years old, I had already decided that if I want to do something in life, then I can only do this,” Akshaye said.
“From this, I will get happiness and satisfaction.” It was less about fame and more about personal fulfilment, a motivation that quietly guided his choices, even when those choices didn’t immediately pay off.
His first break came almost by chance. Recalling how he landed Border, Akshaye shared, “J.P. Dutta came to my father’s house to eat. I was in boarding school at that time and about 18 years old. He said, ‘I am making a movie, Border. Do you want to work?’” Nervous and unsure, Akshaye still saw it as an opening he could not ignore. “I thought this is the best opportunity. You hold this with both your hands. So I said yes, I will work.”
Interestingly, Border was not meant to be his first release. “He said a multi-star film with Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty should not be the first movie,” Akshaye recalled. “So we made a movie before that. It started like this.”
Despite the initial buzz and opportunities, consistent success remained elusive. “Yes, there was a line,” he said of offers coming his way. “But I got very little success in the beginning. Very little.” Looking back, he accepted those missteps without bitterness, seeing them instead as necessary lessons.
Today, after successful second inning of his life, Akshaye Khanna’s career stands as proof that endurance, reflection, and self-awareness can matter as much as early wins.
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