Mumbai, 30 November 2025 – For an actor who has famously stayed away from social media, red carpets, and even most promotional events, Akshaye Khanna is achieving something rare: he is the undisputed top trend on X (Twitter) in India today, and he hasn’t posted a single tweet.
The reason? One look at his terrifying avatar in the upcoming action thriller Dhurandhar.
Ever since the makers dropped the first poster and the power-packed trailer of Aditya Dhar’s directorial (the man behind Uri: The Surgical Strike), Khanna’s menacing character Rehman Dakait has taken over the internet. Described in the film’s official synopsis as an “apex predator” and a ruthless political climber hungry for absolute power, Khanna’s salt-and-pepper bearded look, piercing stare, and chilling dialogue delivery have sent fans and meme pages into a frenzy.
Within hours of the song “Gehra Hua” releasing yesterday, clips of Khanna looming in the background while Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan share romantic moments went insanely viral. One particular frame – Khanna smirking as he says, “Power nahi, poori kainaat chahiye mujhe” – has already crossed 4 million views across platforms, spawning hundreds of reels and reaction videos.
“Bro hasn’t done promotion in 25 years but is carrying the entire marketing of Dhurandhar on his shoulders without showing up once,” wrote a user whose post has garnered over 180K likes.
The irony isn’t lost on anyone. While Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, and Arjun Rampal have been attending events and giving interviews, Khanna – true to his reputation – skipped the grand trailer launch in Delhi earlier this month. When asked about his absence, director Aditya Dhar laughed and said, “Akshaye ji doesn’t need to be physically present. His presence is felt in every frame.”
Fans are now jokingly calling it the “Akshaye Khanna Visa Issue Curse,” referencing his mysterious no-shows at past events. Others are simply celebrating the return of one of Bollywood’s most underrated actors in a full-blown negative role after years.
From throwback edits comparing his Rehman Dakait to Ajay Devgn’s iconic villainous roles, to memes superimposing his face on Thanos and saying “Perfectly balanced chaos,” the internet has spoken: Akshaye Khanna in villain mode is the content they didn’t know they needed in 2025.
With Dhurandhar set to clash with another big release on December 5, one thing is clear – the box-office battle might be between two films, but the pre-release war has already been won by a man who isn’t even on social media.
Welcome back, Mr. Khanna. The timeline was waiting.
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