2025: The year of Akshaye Khanna | Has there been a better, slicker comeback? How reluctant star eclipsed superstars

THe respond to the call into question: which doer had the highest package power revenue from his films in 2025, may surprise you. One could look at Ranveer Singh, who had the biggest hit of the year - Dhurandhar. Or one can argue for Vicky Kaushal, whose Chhaava gave better returns on its budget. The answer is the only actor who had a important role in both films. Akshaye Khanna starred in two films this year and grossed almost ₹1900 crore at the box office. The only actors to have ever earned more in a year from Bollywood are Aamir Khan (2017) and Shah Rukh Khan (2023). And this miraculous year came to a man who is as reluctant for the spotlight as any out there. 2025 was truly the year Akshaye Khanna reminded us of not just his acting chops but his stardom.Also read: 2025: The year of Vicky Kaushal | Bollywood's new-gen star ruled the box office, set himself up for greater glory aheadThe menacing villain returnsAkshaye Khanna has played villains before. Race and Humraaz were both successful films in which he stood up to a popular lead actor. Back then, when the internet did not pit stars against each other, there was no consensus on who ‘won’, but Akshaye held his own. Despite appearing in successful films over the years, Akshay’s reluctance to publicise himself, or even talk about himself, kept him in the wings, as younger and newer stars kept taking centre stage.Then, 2025 happened, and two young filmmakers took a punt on Akshaye playing two diverse, yet equally stellar villains. In Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava, aided by prosthetics, the 50-year-old Akshaye transformed into the 62-year-old Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. His performance, delivery, and body language wowed viewers. And even as Vicky Kaushal and Vineet Kumar Singh gave applause-worthy performances, many felt Akshaye was superior.He ended the year with an even more impressive outing in Dhurandhar. The ₹1000 crore film marked Ranveer Singh’s return to form at the box office, but Akshaye’s Rehman Dakait walked away with the applause. He dominated not just the headlines, but also the memes. And after all, isn’t that the biggest metric of stardom in today’s world?As Taran Adarsh put it in his review of the film: “Akshaye Khanna is outstanding – calm, calculated, and explosive... Every frame he appears in carries weight; every dialogue pierces through... If his act in Chhaava was brilliant, he's beyond terrific here.”The reluctant star retreats into the shadowsAfter delivering the biggest hit of his career, many would party. Others would call paparazzi and distribute sweets publicly. Some would visit pilgrimage sites, even. And what did Akshaye Khanna do? He retreated into his abode in Alibaug, away from Mumbai, and performed a vastu shanti puja there. As his former co-star Ajay Devgn had once pointed out, “Getting this man to Mumbai is difficult. He likes staying away from all this.”The reluctance to accept, let alone discuss, his own stardom is what makes Akshaye so distinct from many other actors in the industry.The road aheadAkshaye ended the year with a minor controversy, as he exited Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam 3 days before the shoot was to begin. Even as producer Kumar Mangat Pathak said he would take legal action against him for leaving the film after signing an agreement, the row failed to tarnish his year. He will still appear in Dhurandhar 2 in a cameo, most likely in flashback sequences. That gives him one almost guaranteed hit in 2026. His other project is Mahakali, a Telugu film where he goes mass again, but this time in the mythological superhero genre. Needless to say, he is set for the best platform to reap from his 2025 triumph. However, knowing him, Akshaye will probably do it from the shadows yet again.