The film ‘Aankhen’, released in the year 2002, is still one of the popular crime-thriller films of Bollywood. Starring veteran stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Sushmita Sen, this film entertained the audience a lot. But do you know that Akshay Kumar was not at all ready to be a part of this film? A recent revelation has given a new twist to this story.

Preparation for ‘no’ even before hearing the story
The film’s director Vipul Shah mentioned this interesting incident in an interview given to ‘Rajshri Unplugged’ on 16 March 2024. He told that when it was time to narrate the script of ‘Aankhen’ to Akshay Kumar, he was in a mood to reject it. At that time Akshay was busy shooting for the film ‘Khiladi 420’. Vipul recalled, “Akshay called me at night. He did not like night shoots, yet he said that let’s go, the night will pass by listening to the story and I will refuse in the morning.”
But while listening to the story, something happened that changed Akshay’s mind. Vipul further said, “In between, Akshay went to give a shot. When he came back, he said that while going out he thought that he would refuse, but the story impressed him so much that he could not say no. After this, he became excited for the film.”
A long relationship started with one film

After ‘Aankhen’, the pair of Akshay and Vipul gave many hit films. Akshay played the lead roles in ‘Waqt: The Race Against Time’, ‘Namaste London’, and ‘Action Replay’, while his presence in films like ‘Singh is King’ and ‘Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty’, produced by Vipul, also won the hearts of the audience. A film analyst said, “This relationship of Akshay and Vipul is a great example of trust and creativity in Bollywood.”

Box office of ‘Aankhen’ and its legacy

Released on 5 April 2002, ‘Aankhen’ was produced by Gaurang Doshi, while the music was composed by late Aadesh Shrivastava. Apart from Amitabh Bachchan, stars like Arjun Rampal, Paresh Rawal and Aditya Pancholi also left their mark in the film. According to the figures of Saanvik, this film made in a budget of 15 crores managed to earn 23.58 crores in India and 29.44 crores worldwide. It got average success at the box office, but after its release on TV, it gained tremendous popularity among the audience.
The story that became a challenge

The story of ‘Aankhen’ revolves around a bank manager (Amitabh Bachchan), who after being fired from the job, plots to rob a bank out of revenge. Akshay’s role in this was of a mysterious character, which made the film exciting. Vipul Shah called this role special for Akshay, “His energy and timing made this role memorable.”

Conclusion: A ‘no’ that became an example of ‘yes’

Akshay Kumar’s first rejection of ‘Aankhen’ and then acceptance of it is proof that sometimes a good story can override any hesitation. This film not only became an important milestone in his career, but also took the crime-thriller genre to new heights in Bollywood. Even today, fans remember this film for its twists and brilliant acting.