When Akshay Kumar Danced Garba in a Gujarati Film — A Forgotten 2000 Cameo in Chundadi Ni Laaj

Before Akshay Kumar became one of Bollywood’s most bankable stars known for his action comedies and patriotic dramas, he made an unexpected appearance in a regional film that many fans today aren’t even aware of. Back in the year 2000, Akshay featured in a Gujarati film titled Chundadi Ni Laaj , making a brief but memorable cameo.

In the film, Akshay was seen participating in a lively garba and dandiya sequence — a vibrant, high-energy traditional dance synonymous with Gujarat’s festive spirit. Dressed in traditional attire, the actor danced amidst a crowd of revellers and he was accompanied by Namrata Shirodkar in the song.. It was a rare sight to see the Khiladi of Bollywood shedding his action-hero image for a festive celebration on screen in a regional production.

Interestingly, Chundadi Ni Laaj wasn’t just graced by Akshay’s cameo. The film also featured brief appearances by Johnny Lever , making it quite the star-studded affair for a Gujarati film of that time.

While Akshay’s appearance lasted only a few minutes, it remains a delightful piece of trivia for fans and film buffs alike. It also showcased his willingness, even back then, to step outside conventional boundaries and participate in regional cinema, albeit in a cameo role.

In fact this was now the first time Akshay did a regional film, back in 1993 Akshay was part of a film called Ashaant which had Kannada superstar Vishuvardhan in the lead. The film was first made in Hindi and when it was time to be remade in Kannada- Akshay played the same role in the Kannada version. The film bombed in Hindi but in the South the film was a major success.

Akshay is currently enjoying his long due success thanks to films like Sky Force , Kesari 2 and Housefull 5. He’s now looking forward to Jolly LLB 3 with Arshad Warsi and Subhash Kapoor and to Priyadarshan’s Bhoot Bangla. Also with all controversy settled and Paresh Rawal returning- he would be finally starting work on Hera Pheri 3 .