Akshaye Khanna recently shared a heartwarming anecdote about his late father, the legendary Vinod Khanna, recalling the moment he decided to pursue acting. The acclaimed actor, currently receiving praise for his role in the spy thriller "Dhurandhar," revealed that his path to the film industry wasn't paved with direct encouragement from his father.
In a resurfaced interview, Akshaye recounted how he informed his father of his aspirations at the age of 18. He explained that initially, his father had hoped he would pursue further studies. However, Akshaye had already made up his mind around the age of 15 or 16, realizing that acting was the only path that would bring him true happiness and satisfaction.
The opportunity to broach the subject with his father arose unexpectedly when filmmaker J.P. Dutta visited their home for dinner. At the time, Akshaye was in boarding school. Dutta, who was planning his film "Border," offered Akshaye a role. Akshaye saw this as the perfect moment to express his interest in acting to his father, a conversation he had been somewhat hesitant to initiate.
"Actually, J.P. Dutta sahab who was, came to my pitaji's (father's) house for dinner. I was in boarding school at that time and my age was something like 18 years," Akshaye said. "So he told me, he was sitting in a corner, he said, 'I am making a picture, Border. Would you want to work? I have something like this, a role.'".
Seizing the opportunity, Akshaye told Dutta he would definitely do it and enquired when the film would commence. The shoot was scheduled to begin a year later, which meant Akshaye would have finished school by then. When Akshaye told his father, Vinod Khanna's response was "What? You want to work in films?". Akshaye replied that he was considering it, as it was a small role in a multi-star cast film, and J.P. Dutta had asked him to try.
It was then that Vinod Khanna said, "No, if you want to do it, then tell me". Akshaye affirmed his desire to act, to which Vinod Khanna responded, "Then I'll make a picture for you".
Akshaye Khanna made his debut in 1997 with "Himalay Putra," which his father, Vinod Khanna, produced and co-starred in. Later that year, he appeared in "Border". Akshaye received the Most Promising Newcomer award for his performances in both films.
Akshaye has often kept a low profile, avoiding the usual trappings of stardom and allowing his performances to speak for themselves. He has created a niche for himself with roles in films like "Dil Chahta Hai," "Border," "Humraaz," and "Race".
The actor has also spoken about his father's decision to leave his family and career to follow the spiritual guru Osho. Akshaye, who was five years old at the time, admitted that he couldn't understand his father's choice then. However, as he grew older and began to read Osho's teachings, he gained a deeper understanding of his father's motivations. He realized that "something must have moved him so deeply inside" that the decision to take sanyaas (renunciation) became necessary.
Vinod Khanna passed away on April 27, 2017. Akshaye found it difficult to speak about his father immediately after his death. He acknowledged that he never saw his father as a star but simply as his dad.
