Actor Akshaye Khanna’s viral dance steps in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar appear to have an unexpected precedent.
Recently a video of the actor’s father, late actor-producer Vinod Khanna, dancing at a 1989 concert in Lahore, Pakistan, has resurfaced, with fans claiming that Akshaye’s iconic steps in the actioner were inspired by his father.
The resurfaced video shows Vinod Khanna dancing alongside Rekha, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, and cricketer Javed Miandad.
Several fans have drawn parallels between Khanna’s performance in the old video and Akshaye’s steps set to the song FA9LA by Bahraini rapper Flipperachi.
“Vinod Khanna wasn’t just a legendary actor — he passed his brilliance to Akshaye Khanna, who carries his legacy with grace and depth. Talent truly runs in the Khanna bloodline,” wrote a fan on X.
“He has levelled up what he got in his genes from the legend #VinodKhanna.The charisma, the powerful screen presence,” posted another fan.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar stars Akshaye Khanna as Mafia overlord Rehman Dakait. The actioner also features Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan and Sara Arjun in key roles.
In a recent interview with Entertainment news website Filmgyan, Dhurandhar actor Danish Pandor revealed that Akshaye had himself improvised his viral steps in the scene.
“We shot this in Leh Ladakh, and Vijay Ganguly was choreographing the whole song. We all heard the track and were stunned by how amazing it was. So, Aditya sir was explaining the shot to Akshaye sir. The whole choreography was happening, and in the middle of that, Akshaye sir asked Aditya, 'Can I dance?' Aditya sir said, 'Do whatever you like’. "Then there's a take, and we all enter, and he looks at everyone dancing, and he starts dancing on his own. There's no choreography for him. Everyone was stunned. People started applauding so much after the shot; the frames were looking so good. He did it all on his own. He is terrific,” said Pandor.
Dhurandhar has already collected over Rs 200 crore worldwide since its 5 December release, according to production banner JioStudios.