His next release, J. P. Dutta's war drama Border (1997) emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

He earned renewed acclaim for playing a defence lawyer in the legal drama Section 375 (2019) and a cop in the blockbuster crime thriller Drishyam 2 (2022).

[15][16] Khanna made his acting debut with Pankaj Parashar's romantic drama Himalay Putra (1997), co-starring his father Vinod, Hema Malini, Satish Shah, Johny Lever, Danny Denzongpa, and Amrish Puri.

[18] Later that year, Khanna starred in J. P. Dutta's war drama Border alongside Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty and Jackie Shroff.

Set during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, the film was about the events of the Battle of Longewala and saw Khanna play the real-life role of Dharamvir Singh Bhan.

[20] News18 noted, "Akshay Khanna excels in a role that was not only multilayered but also asked him to show the mood transitions with facial gestures only.

[22] The following year, Khanna starred opposite Jyothika in Priyadarshan's romantic drama Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998), in which he portrayed a rich person.

[25] Khanna's first release of 1999 came opposite Aishwarya Rai in Rishi Kapoor's directorial debut—the musical romance Aa Ab Laut Chalen.

Khanna next starred opposite Aishwarya Rai in Subhash Ghai's musical romantic drama Taal, in which he played Manav Mehta.

"[29] Khanna's final film that year was Lateef Binnu's star-crossed romance Dahek in which he featured opposite Sonali Bendre as a Hindu boy who falls in love with a Muslim girl.

"[36] That year, he also starred as a lawyer in Anees Bazmee's thriller Deewangee alongside Urmila Matondkar, a financial failure for which he was nominated for the Screen Award for Best Actor.

Khanna played the real-life character of Balwan Singh, an Indian army officer who is a part of the war alongside Preeti Jhangiani.

[40][41] Khanna's first release of 2004 was Milan Luthria's action thriller Deewaar, in which he played Gaurav Kaul, the son of an Indian army officer who sets out to find his missing father.

"[44] After an absence in 2005, Khanna appeared in three films in 2006 — the first of which was Satish Kaushik's comedy-drama Shaadi Se Pehle, co-starring Ayesha Takia and Mallika Sherawat.

[46] Khanna's final film release that year was Dharmesh Darshan's romantic comedy Aap Ki Khatir alongside Priyanka Chopra.

[47][48] In 2007, Khanna acted in Nikkhil Advani's ensemble drama Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love, a romantic comedy, where he was featured opposite Ayesha Takia.

[50] Rajeev Masand noted, "Akshaye Khanna as the groom-to-be who gets cold feet at the eleventh hour delivers a commendable performance.

"[53] In his final release of that year, Khanna teamed with Anil Mehta for the dance film Aaja Nachle, co-starring Madhuri Dixit, which underperformed at the box office.

[58] Khanna's only release in 2009 was Neeraj Vora's romantic comedy Shortkut, in which he starred alongside Amrita Rao, playing the character of Shekhar, an assistant director.

[60] His final film of that year was Tees Maar Khan, a slapstick comedy co-starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif.

[61] Rediff.com stated, "Akshaye Khanna handles this hysterical character with such control and conviction; you can't help but admire his gusto despite the foolhardiness of it all.

[63][64] Khanna made his comeback to Bollywood in 2016 with the action cop comedy Dishoom, playing the role of the main antagonist Wagah, a bookie who targets a top batsman.

[65] Firstpost wrote, "Akshaye Khanna manages to lend notable touches to his part, but remains a victim of an under-written role.

"[66] Ravi Udayawar's crime thriller Mom was Khanna's first release of 2017, co-starring with Sridevi, he received critical appreciation for his performance as Matthew, a CBI officer.

[68] Mumbai Mirror wrote, "Akshaye Khanna as the intuitive crime branch inspector sticks to his lopsided expressions and is unobjectionable.

Hindustan Times wrote, "Khanna impresses with his intense and gritty performance in every frame, though he could have worked a bit more on his flat facial expressions.

"[87] Following another two year hiatus, Khanna portrayed Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in his first release of 2025, Chhaava, based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, starring Vicky Kaushal.

"[96] Khaleej Times's Khalid Mohamed noted, "From being a reluctant actor to being more forthcoming - the formidably talented Akshaye Khanna has turned the wheel.

"[101] Following his portrayal of a variety of characters in Humraaz, Deewangee (both 2002), Hungama (2003), Gandhi, My Father (2007), Race (2008) and Drishyam 2 (2022), Khanna was noted for his versatility.

His first concert tour, "Magnificent Five", was in 1999 in which he performed alongside actors Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukerji and Twinkle Khanna.