What's tinsel town's most magnetic new star got that others don't? Sure, he's beyond gorgeous, but looks alone couldn't cause this kind of frenzy. He's charming and has a brooding sensuality that makes him a very compelling guy. Like his dashing, suave father, Vinod Khanna, he carries an aura of his own. To the powers in filmbiz, who are eager to cast him in their films, he is already a star. Although his debut film, Himalayputra, didn't exactly rack up big bucks, it has put him on the Bollywood map with a vengeance.- Here comes the hotstepper, Akshaye Khanna.

We live in an age when the allure of many leading actors is all on the surface, with a bland, symmetrical, conventionally handsome face offering no hint of an intriguing mind or a complex history. Akshaye Khanna, on the other hand, is something else. Behind his teen-idol facade lies the soul of a thinking man. A talented actor, he knows his craft, and is very serions about his work. Indeed a rare quality amongst the current breed of newcomers. He may be a very instinctual actor but he also has an exacting technique. He likes to get everything right. He's also extremely attractive as an artiste. And quite remarkable and unique for a newcomer. He is one of the best actors to hit Bollywood in recent times - not to mention the most handsome, intriguing, talented and sexy.

Even before he has become a megastar which a lot of people feel is merely a matter of tlme, Akshaye has developed a mystique. He's an extremely private person. The most remarkable thing is he's savvy enough to recognize the danger of overexposure. Therefore, he's cleverly spaced out his interviews to avoid such a happening. What's more he refuses to let anyone into his private and personal matters. He is so damn nonchalant. He's a guy moving comfortably and gracefully in his own mystique, that's the sort of movie star he is. But he's- very distant, very removed and that adds strength to his character. He seems like a private public man going by his reservedness, but for him fame is no burden. We're talking about a movie star in the grand manner, an elusive presence. That probably sums up his screen charisma, which is proving to be a powerful box-office draw.

No one in recent memory has created such a stir with his looks and talent together. Teenage girls swoon over horses and ballet dancers and rebels. Akshaye is somehow all those things. The girls just love him. Wherever he goes, hysteria breaks out. The best indicator of the female public's growing obsession with him. He talks shyly but his body language bespeaks immense self-confidence and that is what draws hordes of women towards him. But he seems to pay little attention to the effect he has on them. For an average guy off screen, he has such a powerful presence on screen and that's what is very alluring. He was the one whom thousands of young teenagers went to see in Himalayputra and Border, war epic, where he played a young and charming yet doomed soldier. Clearly, we're in the grip of Akshaye-mania. So it's no surprise to hear a topnotch director say,"Everyone wants to work with Akshaye."

In a certain way, he's quite smart, he's doing movies he'd like to see. Following his big splash in Himalayputra, this talented star son tackled a challenging role in Border. He should have been lost in pink teen-idol hell. Instead, he escaped and veered further left playing a serious, sensitive role in Border that has established him as a certified-genius Boy Artist. He has rapidly become tinsel town's reigning heartthrob. Now everyone sings his praises. His part in Border was on par with or smaller than his co-stars, indicating a willingness to take on supporting roles, not typical star behaviour Moreover, he held his own with Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff and Sunil Shetty in the film. Thus, it won't be surprising to find him making interesting choices throughout his career. He's already planning on playing a supporting role in Deepa Mehta's (of Fire fame) next offbeat venture.

Self-belief has been Akshaye's strongest asset. He never worried about how tough it would be to break away from father, Vinod Khanna's shadow that loomed large over him. He went about his work without letting the thought haunt him. And he's emerged as one of the few star offsprings to create an identity of his own,right from his debut film itself. Thus today, while his obsession may not be to reach the heights of stardom, Bollywood is betting that audiences will keep watching him for years to come. Becoming a star is a time that's diffcult. But Akshaye gives you the feeling he's going to stay standing. He's going to keep renewing and growing. One feels he can transcend any generation he's in. He gives a sense of how rare such staying power is.

In his real life, he's a complete normal guy. With at least one big difference, Akshaye has it-star quality. When he walks in the energy in the room changes. Yet there's something really amazing about him, his generosity of spirit. Everyone who enters his orbit is treated with attentive, low-key courtesy. His piercing eyes constantly betray vestiges of melancholy. When I met him, I thought, "Well, he'll be yet another spoilt star son". But he's really an exceptional person. Even though he carries a hint of arrogance, he has no ego. I don't know how, but he doesn't. Although in conversaton he's witty, bright, interesting and interested, he seems like a rather reluctant inverviewee. Speaking with journalists is a part of the filmmaking process that he does not exactly enjoy, even though he understands that it is a necessary part. Elusive and aloof and vaguely resembling his ebullient father, like him, he does not suffer interviews gladly. But once collared, he's affable - if guardedly so. He's a good talker. He involves you. He intrigues you. He uses his hands and stares you down. He doesn't go too far or spell everything out. He makes you ask questions.

Thus, being someone who is not so much at ease with all the media glare and attention, one wonders what drew him towards the acting profession and the world of showbiz. Unabashedly he exults." All I've ever wanted to do in my life was become an actor. Everything about it attracted me to this profession. I always visited my father on the sets simply because I used to love the whole atmosphere. The work, the people, the fame, the excitement, I just loved the whole set-up. And tbat urged me on to join films."

Being a star son always raises expectations which add to the pressure as soon as the film is launched. Did that unnerve him?"Naturally," he confesses. "Being Vinod Khanna's son was enough to pile on the pressure. It was obvious that people were going to draw comparisons between me and my dad and I couldn't let them down."

"What's more, he believes he has to be on his toes. As he has been hailed as the most talented amongst the present lot of newcomers. "You see, now I have to maintain the level of excellence that I managed in my first film. Anyway, it helps me to do better. I'm a very ambitious person and have set high standards for myself. Emotionally, physically, mentally, I intend to invest utmost into my work. If I manage to do so, I know I can do well in my career."

Considering the fact that Himalayputra was a home production, did he have any say in the decisions that were made during the making of the film? Was he involved in the selection process of his heroines? Rather honestly he reveals, "I hardly had any experience in the business which obviously did not qualify me to even think of making any suggestion. And I believe that actors don't make such decisions. It's all in the hands of the producer and director. An actor's job is to be involved with his work on the sets. Of course, there were quite a few people who felt that I looked younger than my heroines in the film. But I couldn't help it. Besides, they said the same about my pairing with Madhuri Dixi in Mohabbat. But believe it or not, I've seen the rushes of the film and she doesn't look even slightly older than me. So at times thing work, at times they don't."


Rumours were rife during the making of the film that they had to reshoot a major part of the film. How far was this true? With a surprised look on his face, he counters, "Hey, we didn't reshoot even a single scene of the film, Instead, we added new scenes or deleted the unnecessary ones, but we didn't reshoot at all. Even the shower scene with the bar of Godrej soap was a last minute inclusion. All of the additions were done to make the film as good as possible."Speaking of scenes, his father did mention that he would not come on the sets whenever a romantic scene was being shot. Was it because he felt inhibited when dad was around? "No way, man! I've never felt shy about anything. As an actor, one has to be at ease while shooting any kind of a scene. Or else the awkwardness will show on screen. I couldn't afford to feel inhibited at all."

Nonetheless,atter all the pain and effort that went into the making of Himalayputra, did he feel letdown by the tepid response that the film received? ''Definitely,'' he responds. "One does feel disppointed when all the hard work isn't appreciated by the audience. But I wasn't depressed as such to sulk around. Since people responded positively to my performance it partly made up for the dismal fate of the film. "Could he pinpoint the reason for the failure of the film? He clucks his tongue and quips, "It's no use wasting time and energy trying to dissect the film and pinpoint lts flaws. All I know is that everyone put in their best to make a good commercial entertainer. It's just our bad luck that it failed to click."

The debacle of his maiden venture did surprise a lot of people. But what astonished them further was his taking up a multi-starrer film like J.R. Dutta's Border even before he had made his debut. What made him do so? He confesses, "Look, I have always admired J.P.'s work and wanted to work with him some day. So when he approached me for Border, I simply couldn't refuse. What appealed to me was the script and the fact that it was based on a true story. Each character was well-defined and equally important in the film. So there was no question of oneupmanship at all. And knowing J.P. I did not fear being sidelined at all. There were quite a few friends who advised me not to take on a multi-starrer at such a tender stage in my career. But I was confident of my abilities and wasn't worried about who I was working with. And it has paid off handsomely, hasn't it? People have appreciated my work despite the presence of bigger stars and that's what matters."

What's even more amazing is his decision to work with first time directors in quite a few of his future projects. There's Reema Rakeshnath directing him in Mohabbat and ad-man Kailash Surendranath making his feature film debut with Love You Hamesha. And not to miss Rishi Kapoor's directorial debut with Aa Ab Laut Chale. "So what if I'm working with new directors,"he counters. "It's not as if they haven't had any experience in this field at all. Take Kailash, for instance. The man has had a huge amount of experience directing ad films. You cannot consider him raw or inexperienced. While Reema has had years of experience as a story-writer and knows her job. However, I did have my reservations about her initially since she was a lady, but now there's no problem at all. And do I need to say anything about Mr. Rishi Kapoor? Ultimately what matters to me is that they are all fabulous people and we share a wonderful rapport with each other. It's a delight to work with such people." By the way, isn't it also flattering to be the first outside hero to sign an RK film? He nods his head and exclaims, "Of course, I'm really honoured that they've chosen me. The basic script is quite good and my co-stars are Mr Rajesh Khanna and Aishwarya Rai. It's indeed a prestigious film and I'm proud to be a part of it."

He is also quite charged about his next home production titled, Made In India, which incidentally has dad Vinod Khanna making his debut as a director. Besides, there's also the possibility that he'll be sharing the lead credits with brother Rahul Khanna in it. "The project is still in the planning stages," he reveals. "Dad's working on it and I know he'll put his best into the project like he did for Himalayputra. Having seen his involvement and dedication, I'm sure he'll make a fantastic director. Anyway, things have yet to be finalised so there's no use talking too much about the film now. "In the same breath, he confides that he would love to work with directors like, "Mani Rathnam and Shekhar Kapoor, who are simply amazing."

So far it seems he's signed quite an enviable lot of films. One worders if his father helped him making his decisions regarding these projects. "No, not at all," he quickly negates the thought. "I do go to him for advice whenever I need it, but the final decision is always mine. I discuss every aspect of my career with him and we do have our arguments, but he doesn't impose himself on me. He makes his suggestion and leaves the rest to me. "And how does he go about selecting a film? What is of utmost importance to him in a project? "Basically, it's the entire team that matters to me. When there's a group of accomplished and dedicated professionals involved, the result is bound to be excellent. So I give equal importance to every single aspect of a venture."

Getting personal for a change,how has he taken to the constant media glare on him? Does he abhor the lack of privacy what with people demanding attention all the time? "Frankly speaking, it's great to know that people like you and love the way you look. It's a high to know that you have fans who enjoy watching your films, write letters to you and simply admire your work. I don't feel it's an intrusion of any sort. The media attention hasn't affected my private life at all. At least, not as yet."

Anyway, with no controversies or link-ups dogging him, the media today considers him to be a decent lad who does not believe in late nights, partying or pub hopping. Is he for real? "Well, I'm happy to be termed a good,sober guy. But believe you me, that's not entirely true. Just because I don't have a girlfriend does not mean that I'm not interested in girls at all. And please, there are other ways of getting your kicks and having a ball." He flashes a mischievous grin and adds as an afterthought. "However, I'm not a spoilt brat. I've had a normal upbringing and haven't been a pampered child."

However, having been in the industry for the past couple of years, has it brought about any noticeable change in his personality? "I've always been a quiet and reserved guy and people mistook it for arrogance. I cannot reach out to people easily, it takes me a long time to open up. But for a not-so- friendly individual, I've learnt to meet and greet people amicably because my profession demands it. Otherwise, I'm quite a loner and prefer locking myself in a room and listening to music or reading a book."

He may seem like a reluctant star at best but the fact is Akshaye Khanna loves it all. He's pretty comfortable with his star status. The sad, sad eyes and the little smile that occassionally flickers across his face may tell a different story but it's not true. With raves, big films and impending stardom round tbe corner, one suspects, there are many peaks to come in the career of the guy who would be megaster.
BY: GEETY SAHGAL