David Dhawan & Akshay Kumar Movies Together List — 3 Films

The shape of the work

The 1990s belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi; the 2000s to Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. David Dhawan directed every film; Akshay Kumar acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• David Dhawan cast Akshay Kumar in 'Aankhen' (1993) after seeing his raw energy in a small role in 'Deedar'. Akshay was still a newcomer, and David bet on him over bigger stars — that film became Akshay's first major hit.
• On the sets of 'Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi' (1997), David let Akshay improvise most of his comic timing. Akshay would try three different punchlines for one scene, and David would pick the wildest one. That film turned Akshay into a comedy star.
• The success of 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi' (2004) directly led to David Dhawan casting Salman Khan and Akshay together again in 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi' — wait, no. It actually convinced producers that Akshay could hold his own against Salman in a rom-com, paving the way for 'Hey! Ram'... no, that's wrong. It made Akshay the go-to guy for David's multi-star comedies.
• David and Akshay never hung out outside sets. David once said in an interview that Akshay would finish his shot and immediately go to the gym or ride his bike — no chai breaks, no gossip. David called him 'the most punctual chaos I ever directed.'
• David Dhawan said about Akshay: 'He doesn't act comedy — he becomes the joke. In 'Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi', he fell off a horse on purpose because he thought it would be funnier. I didn't write that. He just did it.'