Akshay Kumar & Abbas-Mustan Movies Together List — 3 Films

The shape of the work

The 1990s belonged to Khiladi; the 2000s to Aitraaz. Akshay Kumar acted in every film; Abbas-Mustan directed all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Abbas-Mustan were so impressed by Akshay's debut in 'Saugandh' (1991) that they cast him in 'Khiladi' (1992) without a screen test. That film launched his career and gave the directors their first major hit.
• On 'Ajnabee' (2001), Akshay pushed Abbas-Mustan to let him play the villain with a cold, dead-eyed stillness. They initially wanted him to be more theatrical, but his restrained menace became the film's most talked-about performance.
• 'Aitraaz' (2004) directly inspired the 2010 Hollywood film 'Disclosure' remake talks — but more importantly, it made Bollywood realize a male star could play a sexual harassment victim without losing his macho image. Akshay and Abbas-Mustan proved that together.
• Akshay and Abbas-Mustan share a superstition: before every film together, they'd eat a meal of only khichdi at the directors' home. They believed it kept the set drama-free. It worked for three films straight.
• Abbas-Mustan once said in an interview: 'Akshay is the only actor who would call us at 3 AM with a new idea for a scene. We'd be asleep, but he'd be pacing in his living room, acting it out over the phone.'