While Akshaye Khanna continues to generate buzz online with his stellar performance in Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar, several old interviews have resurfaced. One of them is from the promotions of Mom, where Akshaye Khanna's co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui spoke about meeting several die-hard female fans of the Hulchul actor over the years.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui On Being Rejected By Girls Who Were Akshaye Khanna Fans
In conversation with NDTV, Nawazuddin Siddiqui shared, "I want to share this one thing with everyone. Before I was married, I was trying very hard to court someone. I would try to talk to girls, but they would always reject me. So I asked all of them, 'What kind of a man do you like?' and I am honestly telling you that all those girls were his (Khanna's) fans."
He added, "I used to ask them, 'What's so special about him?' Someone would talk about his smile, or someone would start talking about his eyes. He had a weird hold on women, and he had a big fan following."
When Akshaye asked him about having a big fan following, Nawazuddin urged the actor to do more films for his fans.
"All of those fans, and everyone else, want Akshaye Khanna to work again. He doesn't show up a lot, and he is very choosy about his work. Hamari dua hai (it's our wish) that he does more films," concluded Nawazuddin.
About Akshaye Khanna's Role As Rehman Dakait In The Blockbuster Dhurandhar
While the ensemble cast of Dhurandhar has been much applauded by the audience, Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakait has garnered a whole new generation of fans.
Recently, casting agent Mukesh Chhabra spoke about Akshaye's reaction when he was offered the role.
Recalling his first interaction with Akshaye, Mukesh said, "I honestly hadn't watched Chhaava then. But I called him. Unhone pehle mujhe daanta. He said, 'Paagal ho gaya hai kya?' I asked him to at least hear me out once."
"I asked him to come to the office. He said, 'Main toh yahan rehta hi nahi hoon. Bol kahan aana hai?'" added Mukesh.
Revealing how the meeting went with Akshaye, Mukesh said, "He came and sat for four hours. He quietly listened. He kept smoking. When we finished, he said, 'F**k, it's very good.' Then he said, 'Well done, yaar. Bada maza aayega.'"
After some time, it was Akshaye who called him back and confirmed he would be part of the film. "He called me and said, 'Let's do it, bro.'"
About Dhurandhar
The film was released on December 5. Based on true events, the film features Ranveer Singh taking on some of Pakistan's most dangerous terrorists. While speculation about the characters' real identities has been trending on social media, the makers have not confirmed any details. The Censor Board clarified that Ranveer's character, believed to be inspired by Major Mohit Sharma, is fictional.
Dhurandhar was helmed by Aditya Dhar. The sequel will be released on March 19, 2026, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
