Definitely this one…..
This film delves into the inconvenient aspect of Mahatma Gandhi in a beautiful way. Akshaye Khanna has delivered a brilliant performance as Gandhi’s son Harilal. The film is based on the play Gandhi viruddh Gandhi, which is taken from the biography of Harilal Gandhi.
The film deals with the conflict between Mahatma Gandhi and his eldest son Harilal.
The film won 3 national awards for Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Jury special Award.
The next great Akshaye Khanna performance in a historical film must be Border (1997), which is one of the best war films of Bollywood. It is also the most successful war film in Bollywood
Based on the 1971 India Pakistan War, it boasts of an ensemble cast of actor and Akshaye Khanna was just a newcomer at that time who debited the same year..and yet he delivers a very mature performance. And who can forget the iconic Sandese Aate hai….
He also acted in another war film LOC Kargil in 2003 in the same year but here I felt Akshaye Khanna was underutilized as an actor. Nevertheless it was a good watch which will make you teary eyed.
Chhava, the more recent film, is the recent historical film of Akshaye Khanna, where he plays a negative role of Aurangzeb who acts as a perfect foil for Vicky Kaushal’s brilliant performance as Chhatrpati Sambhaji Maharaja. The film is winning over the box office like anything.
State of Siege is another film of Akshaye Khanna where he has played a commando fighting with the Pakistani terrorists, who were responsible for the Akshardham bomb blast. While the film is not totally historical, it is based on the backdrop of a historical event and Akshaye Khanna has delivered a solid performance.
The one historical film of Akshaye Khanna i didn't like was The Accidental Prime Minister. The film liked a spoof rather than an actual film, and Akshaye Khanna was reduced to a narrator (playing Sanjay Barua, on whose book the film is based upon), breaking the fourth wall often. The film was not well made and neither well acted.