21 years of Khakee: How Amitabh Bachchan-Akshay Kumar starrer continues to be Bollywood's gold standard for police thrillers

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's accident during the filming of Khakee and the film's lasting impact on Indian cinema remain key moments in Bollywood's thriller history.

21 years of Khakee

We haven't witnessed an authentic police thriller in Bollywood for 21 years, prior to the advent of Singhams. Yes, we are talking about Khakee which was released in 2004 and brought back Amitabh Bachchan as the cop, which will remind you as if "Zanjeer" was set in the 21st century. Directed and written by Rajkumar Santoshi, Khakee is a neo-noir action thriller. From a small hamlet in Maharashtra to Mumbai, the film follows an Indian police team as they accompany an accused terrorist. Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Tusshar Kapoor are all part of the ensemble cast.

Khakee plot overview: High-stakes mission with unexpected obstacles

In Khakee a committed police officer named Inspector Anant Kumar (Amitabh Bachchan) is sent from Chandigarh to Mumbai with the mission of rescuing a wanted terrorist named Iqbal Ansari (Atul Kulkarni), forcing him to skip his daughter's wedding. Along with him, he brings four officers. Terrorists begin attacking and obstructing the mission, making the voyage less than ideal. An inspector suggested releasing Iqbal, but DCP Anant shot that proposal down. Iqbal, who is exhausted and irritated, decides to speak up and exposes their assailants' real motives. What impact will this revelation have on the mission? Is Ansari going to be able to transport them safely to Mumbai?

ALSO READ: 7 ensemble thrillers like Rifle Club to watch on OTT

Critical reception: Success and financial impact of Khakee

Critical reception for Khakee was overwhelmingly positive upon its theatrical premiere on January 23, 2004, with praises for the script, direction, and performers of the film. It was a critical and financial smash, and it had one of the biggest budgets of the period. With Rs. 50 crore earned globally during its release, the film ranked fifth among 2004's highest-grossing films, trailing only Main Hoon Na Dhoom, Veer-Zaara, and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi.

Taking a little round of the backstory for Khakee Anjum Rajabali introduced Shridhar Raghavan to Santoshi, who was interested in collaborating with Bachchan on a police drama. While they were meeting, Raghavan read Santoshi a script about police officers, and the latter enjoyed it. According to Raghavan, they kept that as a base and started working afresh, collaborating, writing, and rewriting.

Casting and roles: Key players in the film

One of the first actors cast in the film was Bachchan. The part of Senior Inspector Shekhar Verma was offered to Devgn, while Akshaye Khanna was cast as Sub-Inspector Ashwin Gupte. Although Khanna left the set, Devgn was cast as Yashwant Aangre, the antagonist, marking his second film in this role following the 2002 thriller Deewangee. Tusshar Kapoor was cast as Ashwin Gupte later on. Lara Dutta was signed for the special dance number Aisa Jadoo.

Following the rejection of multiple female actors, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was cast as Mahalakshmi. As Shekhar Verma, Kumar reunited with Bachchan for their third collaboration following Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love and Aankhen.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's accident during filming

During the shoot of Khakee an unruly Jeep ran over Aishwarya Rai Bachchan while she was filming in Nashik, sending her careening into nearby bushes. The sequence in which the Jeep had to approach and halt twenty feet from them was being rehearsed by her and Kapoor. But the Jeep driver went off the road without braking. She was bruised and her left foot was broken.

On OTT, Khakee is available to stream on multiple platforms, including JioCinema (OTTplay Premium), Prime Video, ShemarooMe (OTTplay Premium), and Lionsgate Play (OTTplay Premium).

ALSO READ: Aishwarya Rai Birthday: A look at diva's phases that capture a different facet of her evolving stardom

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