On Akshaye Khanna’s birthday today, March 28, it feels fitting to look at the kind of impact he has quietly had on the people he works with. Danish Pandor, who shared screen space with him in Dhurandhar and earlier in Chhaava, saw that up close. In Dhurandhar, where they played brothers, a lot of that learning came not from conversations but from simply watching Akshaye work.
In an exclusive interaction with India TV in December, Danish spoke to us about what it was like to work with Akshaye Khanna for the second time. Let's revisit the conversation on the Hungama actor's birthday.
Danish Pandor reveals the life mantra Akshaye Khanna swears by
When asked what he took away from his experience of working with Akshaye Khanna, Danish didn’t overcomplicate it. "Keep it to yourself, and just give your best shot when you're there in front of the camera," he told us. Danish played Uzair Baloch, the younger brother of Akshaye, who played Rehman Dakait in Aditya Dhar's movie.
How Akshaye Khanna approaches a scene
For Danish, what really stood out was how Akshaye handles a scene without making it obvious. There’s a certain unpredictability to his performance, something that keeps the audience engaged without ever feeling forced.
"Breaking the rhythm when you’re in a scene is very important. You have to almost make it feel like a completely different scene altogether - create a kind of magic within it. If I’m having a one-hour conversation with Akshaye, it’s just a normal conversation for us. But if the audience is watching, after a point, they might feel there’s no distraction. That’s when you need to do something to change the rhythm and keep people glued. That’s a very strong quality Akshaye has. He constantly breaks the rhythm. Suddenly, you’re like - what did he just do? A lot of scenes, even the way he looks, are about breaking the rhythm. He never does anything monotonous," he said.
He also pointed to moments from Dhurandhar that stayed with him, especially scenes where Akshaye lets silence do the work. "Even during the rally scene, when he gets on stage and meets Jameel Jamali, he’s completely stunned. People are plotting, and he just looks at me - that moment says everything.”
Watch Danish Pandor's exclusive interview with India TV here:
Was Akshaye Khanna in Dhurandhar: The Revenge?
[Spoiler alert] Akshaye had a few seconds in Dhurandhar Part 2, as a continuation of how the fate of his character met its fate.
Next, he will be seen in a mythological film titled Mahakali as the antagonist Shukracharya. The release details are expected soon.
