Akshaye Khanna crosses ₹2,000 crore worldwide box office mark in 2025, second only to Shah Rukh Khan

Akshaye Khanna has scripted a historic box office achievement by crossing the ₹2,000 crore worldwide gross milestone within the 2025 calendar year, becoming only the second Indian actor after Shah Rukh Khan to accomplish this feat. The landmark underscores Khanna’s remarkable resurgence as one of Hindi cinema’s most bankable performers, driven largely by his powerful antagonist roles.

The milestone was achieved through two massive blockbuster releases. The first was Chhaava, released in January 2025, in which Khanna portrayed Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The historical epic went on to collect approximately ₹809 crore globally, with his performance earning widespread acclaim for its intensity and gravitas.

The second and bigger contributor was Dhurandhar, a high-octane spy thriller released in December 2025. Playing feared gangster Rehman Dakait, Khanna helped propel the film to a worldwide gross exceeding ₹1,167 crore. The film continues its theatrical run into January 2026, further consolidating his record-breaking year.

Together, Chhaava and Dhurandhar pushed Akshaye Khanna’s cumulative worldwide box office total for 2025 to over ₹2,001 crore. Until now, Shah Rukh Khan had been the only Indian actor to cross this benchmark, achieving it in 2023 with the combined success of Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki.

In the wake of this unprecedented commercial success, industry reports suggest that Khanna has significantly revised his fee structure. He is reportedly charging up to ₹21 crore for his upcoming role in Drishyam 3. He is also slated to appear in Bhagam Bhag 2 alongside Akshay Kumar, a highly anticipated sequel scheduled for release in late 2026.

Akshaye Khanna’s record-breaking year marks a rare moment where antagonist-driven performances have delivered both critical acclaim and extraordinary box office returns, redefining the commercial power of character-driven roles in contemporary Hindi cinema.