Akshaye Khanna, who has been a prominent figure in the film industry for over three decades, has truly made 2025 his year. The actor took on the role of the antagonist in two major films, both of which went on to become the highest-grossing Hindi films of the year. While he earned widespread critical acclaim for his performances, his box office success is equally impressive. Akshaye has now crossed a major milestone by becoming the second Indian actor to gross ₹2000 crore at the global box office in a single calendar year. This remarkable achievement places him among the very few stars who have reached such heights in a career, solidifying his position as one of the industry’s leading talents.
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Akshaye Khanna’s box office success began with his portrayal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava, which starred Vicky Kaushal. The film, released in January 2025, grossed 809 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of the year for most of the time. While Akshaye received praise for his role, this wasn’t his biggest hit. In December, he played gangster Rehman Dakait in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. Despite a star-studded cast featuring Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal, Akshaye’s performance stole the show. Thanks to strong word of mouth, Dhurandhar became the highest-grossing Hindi film domestically, earning 1167 crore worldwide. By Saturday, the film is expected to add another 25 crore, pushing the total box office gross of Akshaye’s two films in 2025 to 2001 crore.
Akshaye Khanna Joins 2000 Crore Club
Second only to the Khans, Akshaye Khanna joins an elite list of Indian actors with a 2000 crore box office year. Shah Rukh Khan achieved this milestone in 2023 when his three films—Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki—grossed a combined 2685 crore worldwide. Aamir Khan crossed 2000 crore with Dangal, but it took two years and separate releases, including a 2017 launch in China that added over 200 million (1300 crore). Other stars like Prabhas and Allu Arjun came close when Baahubali 2 and Pushpa 2 each earned over 1700 crore, and Ranbir Kapoor could reach the mark with his upcoming releases Ramayana and Love & War. So far, Akshaye Khanna stands as the only non-Khan actor to achieve this feat in a single year.