When director Razneesh Ghai offered 120 Bahadur to Raashii Khanna, she understood that her screen time was limited. But that didn’t matter to the actor, who knew that her character was the film’s emotional anchor. There was another motivation to say yes to the war drama that chronicles the 1962 Battle of Rezang La — leading man Farhan Akhtar.
Today, she couldn’t be happier about the decision, as she has walked out of the film enriched by the collaboration with the multi-hyphenate. She says, “I’ve seen a lot of people who act and direct; the director in them comes out when there is another director. But I never saw that with Farhan sir. He truly is a director’s actor. I never saw him question the director’s vision. I have huge respect for him. He’s a template of how men should be. He is very respectful towards women.”
Her co-star evoked another emotion in Khanna that she usually doesn’t identify with — envy. “I told Farhan sir, ‘I don’t get jealous at all. But I’m jealous of your and Zoya ma’am’s [Akhtar, filmmaker and his sister] talent. When I meet you, I feel like I’m nothing. That’s not a great feeling’,” she laughs.
Raashii Khanna (L) plays Farhan Akhtar’s (R) wife in the war drama
What certainly is a great feeling is that Khanna has her plate full for 2026 even as there is still a month to go before the new year. The actor will begin 2026 with the shoot of Farzi 2, reuniting with co-stars Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi. “We’re going on floors with Farzi 2 in January. I don’t know how the story progresses. There’s, of course, a crossover between Farzi and The Family Man 3,” she says.
Besides the Raj-DK series, Khanna will be seen in a yet-untitled Prime Video series in which she plays a cop. The shoot, she reveals, is complete. “I play a fierce Punjabi cop in it. Even though I am Punjabi, I grew up speaking Hindi. My father was my acting coach for this show because he taught me all the Punjabi dialogues,” she grins.
It will be a busy year for Khanna, who is also reuniting with Vikrant Massey after The Sabarmati Report (2024) for a divorce drama titled Talakhon Mein Ek. That’s not it. She also awaits the release of her maiden collaboration with R Madhavan. “It’s a time travel script! I am very excited about it,” she says enthusiastically.