There is a particular kind of electricity that hits a film set when an actor slips out of the script and into instinct. You feel it in the air before you see it, like static gathering before a monsoon. People stop mid-stride, a hush folds over the light stands, even the extras look up from their thermos chai. That is the kind of moment the crew of Dhurandhar witnessed when Akshaye Khanna walked into the frame for the FA9LA entry sequence and, without warning, let his body break into that sly, swaggering dance now echoing across every corner of the internet.
Truth is, nothing about that moment was meant to be extraordinary. The plan was simple. He would walk in, sit on a throne, deliver presence without movement. But actors like Akshaye carry their own weather systems. Choreographer Vijay Ganguly has already laughed about it in interviews, saying even he did not see it coming. One second Akshaye was meant to glide in with stoic menace, and the next he was flicking into that curving, rhythmic shoulder roll that somehow feels both antique and futuristic. Co-star Danish Pandor, watching it unfold, reportedly blinked in shock. None of it was in the script. The man simply felt the beat, and the beat obeyed him.
And here is the catch. While the rest of us were simply swooning over the attitude of it, the scene was being shot in Ladakh where the altitude toys with the strongest lungs. Akshaye’s oxygen levels dipped, enough for him to carry a small cylinder around like an invisible co-star. Between takes he would slip on the mask, breathe, reset, then step back under the lights as if nothing in his body felt thin or fragile. There is a stubborn romance to that kind of dedication, the kind actors used to be mythologised for in old studio stories. It is almost poetic, a man dancing on depleted air while the world now watches it with full lungs and full delight.
What happened next was inevitable. The internet caught a spark and turned it into a wildfire. The FA9LA track by Flipperachi already had the swagger of a street carnival, something gritty but irresistible. Pair that with Akshaye’s improvised intro and suddenly the nation had its new obsession. The clip began ricocheting across social platforms, stitched, remixed, slowed down, sped up.
People compared it to the Jamal Kudu moment from a different film, that same sense of a scene born to be memed. Then came the recreations, and when someone as widely recognised as Saina Nehwal stepped in to mirror that entry step, pulling her father into the frame with her, the trend simply rooted itself into popular culture. That is the thing about virality. It is never logical. It is emotional. A certain rhythm touches a collective nerve and suddenly everyone feels in on a secret.
There is something quietly triumphant about the timing of all this for Akshaye. For years his name had floated in that strange limbo of actors whom the industry respects but the internet forgets to talk about. Now his portrayal in Dhurandhar and that very dance step have pushed him straight back into public conversation. People are calling it a comeback though the word feels too clean, too neat for what is happening. It is not a return. It is a resurfacing. A reminder. An actor who never quite chased the spotlight is suddenly glowing right at the center of it again.
Box office numbers only deepen the glow. Dhurandhar stormed past the 120 crore mark within four days, which in today’s theatrical landscape feels like someone kicked open a long sealed door. And among all the praise the film is earning, Akshaye’s performance seems to have carved out a separate fan base of its own. Industry watchers are already whispering about how unexpected it is to see his aura suddenly align with social media culture. He is not a man who dances for algorithms. Yet here he is, becoming one of the internet’s favorite motions of the month.
Honestly, it felt like the perfect storm. A high altitude set. A spontaneous move. A fleeting moment of rhythm that could easily have been edited out. Instead it became the pulse of the film’s promotion, the unofficial anthem of December, the pop culture surprise nobody saw coming. And maybe that is the charm. We live in a world oversaturated with choreography. Precision, rehearsal, repetition. To see a veteran actor throw his body into an unscripted groove, playful but regal, made people remember that spontaneity has its own kind of seduction.
The best part is how unbothered Akshaye seems by all this noise. While memes bloom like wildflowers and celebrities recreate his sway, he stays still in the background, the way people who know their value tend to. His energy in the scene, that cool molten swagger, feels even more fascinating when you picture the oxygen mask waiting just outside the frame. Art and physical limitation dancing on a tightrope. Maybe that is why the moment landed so hard. It is not just a dance. It is a man choosing to surrender to the rhythm despite the thinness of the air around him.
And just like that, Dhurandhar has given us a cultural snapshot, a piece of cinematic mischief that will live longer than the film’s box office run. People will forget the weekend numbers eventually. They will not forget the way Akshaye Khanna walked into a scene that was meant to be simple and transformed it into a national mood.
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Sana has been covering film, fame, and everything in between for over a decade. From red carpets to rehab rumors, she brings nuance, wit, and an insider’s edge to every story. When she’s not reporting, she’s probably watching Koffee With Karan reruns or doom-scrolling celebrity IG feeds.
