When the late Vinod Khanna launched his son Akshaye with the 1997 film Himalaya Putra, he was touted to be the next big thing in Bollywood. Although the film bombed at the box office, Akshaye Khanna was noticed and was soon cast the very same year in the legendary war film Border which got him immense praise and recognition. He, however, could not match the success of Border with his next films and only a handful of them like Humraaz, Taal, Hungama, Dil Chahta hai and Race managed to do well. By the late 2000s, he had almost faded out of the public eye, barring some occasional appearances in supporting roles.
Many cinephiles as well as the media have attributed his premature balding as one of the reasons for his career decline. However, the actor says that although the hair loss bothered him initially, he is now unfazed by it.
Akshaye mentioned losing his hair at a young age in a 2020 interview with Midday when discussing his appearance and hair. He remarked, “For me, it was like a pianist losing his fingers because it started happening to me at such a young age.
“Until you accept it and it starts to annoy you less, it truly felt like that to me throughout those days. It is heartbreaking if you’re a sportsperson and finds out you require knee surgery since you could miss a year or two of your career.”
This wasn’t the first time Akshaye had brought up the subject. When asked who has the worst hairdo in Bollywood in the rapid-fire round on an earlier episode of Koffee With Karan, Akshaye responded with his name. “Some people require hearing aids, while others have back issues, eye problems, or both. Some people might think I’m completely foolish, but to me, it’s just a part of life.” He continued by saying that it wasn’t a big issue for him but a minor one.
Akshaye was last seen last year in a leading role in the Zee5 film State of Siege: Temple Attack and a small cameo in Hungama 2 which was also an OTT release. He is presently shooting for Drishyam 2 helmed by Abhishek Pathak.
