What Bollywood stars can learn from Akshaye Khanna post 'Dhurandhar' and 'Chhaava' success

Akshaye Khanna has been a part of the Hindi film industry for over 28 years. The actor has given his fans and critics films like Taal, Border, Dil Chahta Hai, Humraaz, Hungama, Hulchul, Race, Mom, Ittefaq, Drishyam 2, Chhaava, and now Dhurandhar.

The last two titles dropped this year and one became an all-time blockbuster whereas the other is on its way to become a commercial success. The cumulative worldwide gross of these two movies are Rs 969.6 crore, and with this, the actor has become the most successful star of 2025, beating Rishab Shetty, Vicky Kaushal, Akshay Kumar.

What Bollywood can learn

Khanna’s last interview on YouTube is from the pandemic when he was promoting his streaming film The State Of Siege: Temple Attack directed by Ken Ghosh. Despite giving copious staggering successes, the actor has zilch social media presence and doesn’t give interviews. He doesn’t even show up for the trailer launches or success parties.

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He likes to be aloof and away from the noise and enjoys his evenings and weekends in Alibaug at his farmhouse, as per many people in the industry. And this is something many actors who go on a promotional overdrive can learn from Khanna. Everyone on social media seems to be in awe of his shape-shifting skills on celluloid.

The Dhurandhar decimation

On opening day,   Dhurandhar grossed an estimated Rs 28.60 crore net domestically, marking the highest opening of Ranveer’s career so far. With enthusiastic audience turnout and strong word-of-mouth, the film maintained momentum on Day 2 and Day 3. On Sunday, the film earned Rs 44.80 crore, the highest single-day net collection during the weekend.   With Rs 33.10 crore on Day 2, the total now stands at Rs 106.50 crore net and Rs 125 crore gross.

What Made the Difference

The impressive opening weekend of Dhurandhar can be attributed to several intertwined factors including a well-hyped trailer and promotional campaign, a star-studded cast including veteran actors alongside Ranveer Singh, and direction by Aditya Dhar, known for his hit war-drama background.