Monojit Lahiri investigates how Akshaye Khanna’s fiercely private stardom, selective choices, artistic integrity and resistance to celebrity culture invite an intriguing comparison with Hollywood icon Marlon Brando, redefining what it means to be a star today.

A reflective cultural essay drawing parallels between Akshaye Khanna and Marlon Brando, this piece explores artistic integrity, privacy, anti-celebrity stardom, selective filmmaking, and resistance to PR-driven fame in contemporary Indian cinema.

The Brando Blueprint

As Dhurandhar continues its juggernaut, zooming across ₹1000 crores in a mere 20 days and rocketing the reclusive, low-profile Akshaye Khanna to another planet, it suddenly struck me that hey, this guy has some interesting similarities with Hollywood’s Marlon Brando!!

Hollywood’s individualistic star did everything to combat the successful making of a star. He openly detested and defied all rules, routines, authority.
He declared Hollywood as a cultural boneyard—its tunnel-viewed version of the world ugly, harmful and distorted. He loathed its hierarchy and pecking order, its blinded focus on ego and commercial success over artistic worth. He dismissed with disdain the stature of his celebrated colleagues—Gable, Cooper, Peck, Bogart gang—insisting they were highly overrated. They specialized in repeating themselves. He believed that the Hollywood product, mostly, was sugar-coated, feel-good, fake, risk-free, solidly audience-friendly, never remotely daring to challenge the status quo.

For his turn, Brando believed actors were creative artistes who needed time to enjoy their own company, think and feel about the world they inhabit.

Akshaye Khanna’s Quiet Rebellion

He hated the ritual of socialising and networking, because he felt it was sure poison for self-belief and self-confidence—a sure-fire calling card for insecurity. He saluted European cinema for its fearless pursuit of vision and values, guts, brio, the creative courage to want to explore the linear truths, unafraid of soul-stripping. No fillers. Acting, he felt, was life itself—unpolished, stark, real, where silence often plays the starring role.

Similarities with AK? Certainly nowhere as dramatically dismissive, but on a closer look some aspects do seem similar.

For one, AK definitely seems to be his own person, guarding his privacy in ferocious fashion. Like the great man, he consciously likes to stay away from anything exhibitionistic—socialising, networking, social media, podcasts—unless professionally required. He is convinced it does not bring an iota of real value addition and he refuses to be a PR hound, himbo, famous for being famous.

The Choice of Integrity

He is perfectly content to march to his own beat. While brilliant in complex parts/roles, he is equally cool in mainstream sing-dance-nonsense clown-around vehicles. Like Brando (although in a less aggressive way), he has no problem in candidly voicing his opinion on controversial subjects in a mature manner, across any platform. He refuses to be politically correct and speaks from his beliefs. He doesn’t follow PRs or succumb to the idea of being falsely diplomatic—telling people what they want to hear.

He forever chooses quality over quantity and does roles that excite/interests him. In most of his films, he comes across as a formidable talent who is charismatic and symbolises mystique. Neither success nor failure affects him in a crazy way; otherwise, after his celebrated swag became 2025’s viral hoopstep, accompanied by that deadly villainous half-smile, like most of his tribe he could’ve completely swept every media platform—but what did he do? Quietly returned to his retreat at Alibaug.

He believes acting is a job he was born to do professionally and pursues it with his hundred percent every time. As for self-assessment, he considers himself a competent actor, always ready to point towards his directors, co-stars, script writers, editors, DOPs, the entire crew as critical back-up—because ultimately it is a collaborative art.

On the flipside, in recent times there have been some whispers of AK being troublesome and difficult—as this goes with the star of Drishyam 3, for financial and creative reasons, one typically vintage Brando too!!

Over to you, esteemed reader.