Akshaye Khanna, who enthralled us with his performance in sleeper hits like Dil Chahta Hai, Taal and Hulchul, was away from Bollywood for nearly four years because “of some personal issues” by his own admission. He re-unites with the star cast of Varun Dhawan, John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez in Rohit Dhawan’s new thriller, Dishoom. “I’m thrilled to be back with Dishoom and a couple of more films this year,” said Akshaye at the trailer launch of the film in Mumbai last week.
To get the part, Akshaye had a sit-down with close friend David Dhawan’s son and director Rohit Dhawan. “The storyline of an Indian cricketer who gets kidnapped 36 hours before a India-Pakistan match was so interesting. And the fact that I got to kidnap him [in the film] made it even more interesting for me!” recounted Akshaye.
Two decades into his Bollywood career, Akshaye—veteran actor Vinod Khanna’s son—aims to portray characters that are on the edge and define the narrative. “It’s wonderful to be back with a fresh story after so long,” he added.
Photograph: Yogen Shah