Never boasted bhai: Akshay Kumar’s hilarious reply after fan thanks him for ‘giving Akshaye Khanna a chance’ in Dhurandhar— Know more

A light-hearted moment unfolded online when a fan thanked Akshay Kumar for “giving Akshaye Khanna a chance” — a reference to Khanna’s powerful performance as Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar. The fan was playfully recalling the Tees Maar Khan connection, where Akshay (as Tabrez Mirza Khan) hilariously “casts” Akshaye Khanna’s character, Aatish Kapoor, while pretending to be a filmmaker.

Akshay responded with a witty, humble one-liner: “Never boasted brother.”
The comment instantly went viral, with audiences treating it as the perfect inside joke linking two very different films, 14 years apart.

Never boasted brother…never boasted 😜

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 12, 2025

Why fans drew the comparison

In Tees Maar KhanAkshay’s character fools an entire village by posing as a Hollywood director named Manoj “Day” Ramalin. During the con, he ropes in Aatish Kapoor (Akshaye Khanna) — a fame-hungry, Oscar-obsessed superstar — into his fake film. The gag became one of the film’s most memorable angles, with Akshaye delivering an exaggerated comic performance that fans still quote today.

Now, with Akshaye Khanna delivering one of the deadliest villain performances of his career in Dhurandhar as Rehman Dakaitfans jokingly credited Akshay Kumar for “spotting his talent early” as a “director” — continuing the Tees Maar Khan meme.

Adding to the humour, fan pages joked that Harleen Deol-style, Akshay had “blessed” Akshaye Khanna long before he bent down — a playful exaggeration of how iconic Khanna’s performance has become this year.

Akshaye Khanna’s ‘Dhurandhar’ domination

Khanna’s portrayal of Rehman Dakait — brooding, calculating, terrifying yet strangely empathetic — has been hailed as his most commanding villain act since Humraaz. Based loosely on the real Lyari don, the character is layered with menace, emotional nuance and a chilling unpredictability.

At 50, Khanna has delivered back-to-back acclaimed performances, following his turn as Aurangzeb in 2025’s Chhaava. In Dhurandharhe reportedly overshadows even Ranveer Singh with an immersive transformation fans call “aura-heavy”, “unshakeable”, and “a masterclass in villainy.”

The viral takeaway

A fan’s nostalgic Tees Maar Khan reference + Akshaye Khanna’s 2025 career resurgence + Akshay Kumar’s signature comic timing = the perfect moment for Bollywood social media.

And Akshay’s humble punchline,
“Never boasted brother,”
sealed the joke — proving once again why his sense of humour remains unmatched.