In 1996, when 'Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi' happened, Akshay’s proximity with Rekha had taken the media by storm and the speculations of their alleged affair had spread like wildfire.
Much before Akshay Kumar had fallen for his International Khiladi co-star, Twinkle Khanna, he had a Casanova image and a list of divas with whom he was linked. From Rekha, Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty to Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif, Akshay’s link-ups didn’t subside even after his marriage with Twinkle.
The reigning Khiladi of B-town, Akshay Kumar has smitten the B-town divas with his charm and he had enough link-up rumours back then to justify his Casanova tag. In 1996, when Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi happened, Akshay’s proximity with Rekha had taken the media by storm and the speculations of their alleged affair had spread like wildfire. While the film failed to make a mark at the box-office, Rekha becoming a reason for creating a rift between Akshay and his then-ladylove, Raveena Tandon had made the headlines. Reportedly, Rekha was also responsible for their breakup.
However, according to Raveena Tandon, Akshay Kumar had ‘tolerated’ Rekha for the sake of their film, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. In an interview with Rediff, Raveena had stated,
"I don't think Akshay ever had anything to do with Rekha. As a matter of fact, he would run away from her. Akshay tolerated Rekha because of the film. At one point she wanted to get lunch dabbas for him from home. That's when I put my foot down. I felt it was taking things a bit too far.”
In another interview with Cine Blitz, Raveena had said that she wouldn’t hesitate to show Rekha where to draw the line, if need be,
"If this actress knows that we are together yet gets too close to Akshay, I will get my claws into her. But Akshay knows how to handle the situation I guess."
Taking you all into the throwback days, do you know, Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon had an elaborate engagement ceremony? At a chat show, Raveena had spoken about their engagement and had shared,
“It was a voluntary decision. I was engaged to somebody I knew. This is what I wanted, to lead a very normal life. I quit in advance before marriage because we did think that when there will be last day of my shoot, we will go ahead and get married. Once I re-started my career, he again said that leave it and we will go ahead with the wedding. But, then I told him that once I chose you over my career, but now I will choose my career over you."
(Also Read: Raveena Tandon's Love Life: From Being Cheated By A Bollywood Superstar To Her Final Dig At Love)
There were also rumours that the Mohra co-stars had also gotten married secretly. Revealing the truth, she had stated,
“No, there was a very elaborate engagement ceremony. With the pandit doing pooja and everything. His family had flown down from Delhi, my family came from Delhi. One of his elders had put a red dupatta on my head, and I think that was mistaken to be a wedding.”
Shilpa Shetty, on the other hand, had her own set of revelations to make. Speaking about how unimaginable it was for her to believe that Bollywood’s Khiladi had actually played with her heart, Shilpa had stated, “I never imagined that he could two-time me, and that too all along our relationship.” She had continued,
“Akshay Kumar used me and conveniently dropped me after he found someone else. The only person, I was upset with, was him. But I'm sure he'll get it all back. It's not easy to forget the past so soon, but I'm glad I've had the strength to move on. Today, he's a forgotten chapter as far as I'm concerned. I will never work with him again.”
After an array of reported linkups and bidding adieu to his Casanova image, Akshay Kumar found his ‘happily ever after’ in Twinkle Khanna. Akshay and Twinkle are proud parents to Aarav Kumar and Nitara, and the actor, who once was known as the Casanova of B-town is now a family man! Akshay and Twinkle, in their own different way, have been giving ‘Couple Goals’ to the millennials out there.
Moving on, Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty and Rekha are living their respective lives happily and share a cordial relationship.