Director Rajkumar Santoshi’s 2004 neo-noir action thriller, Khakee, is celebrated for a pivotal plot twist that left audiences utterly astonished. The narrative takes an unforeseen turn when Aishwarya Rai’s character, Mahalakshmi, unexpectedly betrays her police colleagues, aligning herself with her lover, Yashwant Angre, portrayed by Ajay Devgn. This shocking reveal, however, was not only a surprise to the viewers but also, for a significant portion of the filming, to the actress herself.
Santoshi recently disclosed that he intentionally kept Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the dark about her character’s complete arc. Despite her being a close family friend, the filmmaker made a conscious decision to withhold this crucial information. He elaborated on his unconventional approach in an interview with Galatta Plus, explaining that negative characters are typically provided with a backstory to justify their malevolent actions. He cited examples like a character’s mother being cruel to rationalize their villainy. However, with Mahalakshmi, Santoshi deliberately eschewed such justifications. "There’s no justification. She (Aishwarya’s character Mahalakshmi) is bad. Period," he stated emphatically.
This element of surprise extended beyond Aishwarya. Even seasoned actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, and Akshay Kumar were unaware of Mahalakshmi’s true intentions until the production was well underway. Santoshi recounted how, halfway through the shoot, he narrated the full arc to Bachchan, Devgn, and Kumar. Their reaction was one of utter disbelief. "They were shocked! ‘How did Aishwarya agree to do this role?’ I said, ‘She doesn’t know. I didn’t tell her.’ They were like, ‘What nonsense! The film would get shelved! Aishwarya would refuse to do the film,’" Santoshi recalled.
Despite the concerns of his lead actors, Santoshi remained confident that Aishwarya would ultimately commit to the project, even after learning about the twist. The opportune moment to reveal the entire storyline presented itself after the actress sustained a leg injury during filming. Santoshi visited her at her parents’ residence, where he finally unveiled the complete narrative in the presence of her family. He remembered telling her parents, "I met her parents, who are very nice people. They like me a lot. So, I narrated the film in front of everyone. That time, I told her the whole arc in front of her parents."
Surprisingly, Aishwarya’s parents reportedly found the concept "interesting" and "different," especially considering the types of roles typically offered to heroines in the early 2000s. Santoshi explained his reasoning for the secrecy to Aishwarya: "Why I didn’t tell you initially is because I felt it’d stay in your mind subconsciously and you’d give it away." He emphasized the magnitude of the twist, noting that "It was such a big shocking point that nobody could’ve expected it. Even she didn’t know she’d betray the team because she always thought she’s a part of the team." Ultimately, Aishwarya embraced the role, and Mahalakshmi’s betrayal became arguably the most memorable surprise in the film, solidifying Khakee‘s place in cinematic history.
Co-written by Rajkumar Santoshi and Shridhar Raghavan, Khakee chronicles the journey of a police team tasked with escorting an accused terrorist, played by Atul Kulkarni, from a small town in Maharashtra to Mumbai. The team is led by DCP Anant Kumar Shrivastav (Amitabh Bachchan) and includes Senior Inspector Shekhar Varma (Akshay Kumar), former inspector Yashwant Angare (Ajay Devgn), and Sub Inspector Ashwin Gupte (Tusshar Kapoor), among others. The ensemble cast also featured Jaya Prada, Prakash Raj, Tanuja, and Ashwini Kalsekar, with Lara Dutta making a special appearance in the popular song “Aisa Jadoo.”
