Mumbai: Following Akshaye Khanna’s sudden exit from ‘Drishyam 3’, producer Kumar Mangat called out the actor for being too arrogant and confirmed that Jaideep Ahlawat will be replacing him in the film.
However, the film’s director Abhishek Pathak has denied any such development.
“No, Jaideep is not replacing Akshaye. I’m writing a new character,” Abhishek told Bombay Times.
The director further revealed that lead actor Ajay Devgn, who will be reprising his role as Vijay Salgaonkar, chose not to interfere in the matter and left the casting to him.
“He left it to me completely. Anyway, it’s more about me, Akshaye, and the production. So, I would rather leave that aspect of how we dealt with it out,” Abhishek revealed.
Recalling the timeline and sharing what went wrong behind the scene, the director said, “All this happened after the contract was signed in November. He left the movie five days before it was going on the floors. The look was locked, costumes were being made, the narration had happened, and he loved the story.”
Talking about the disagreement over the character’s look, the director explained, “My film starts from the point where it (Drishyam 2) ended. I couldn’t have him in the courtroom in the afternoon, and in the evening, he comes back with hair. How is it possible? That was the point I explained and convinced him. A few days later, this came up again, and that’s when we said we will work it out.”
Dismissing rumours that Akshaye’s exit was because of lower renumeration, he said, “He is putting out those rumours. I do not want to talk about the amount we eventually locked. Yes, the commercials were revisited, but we somehow worked it out and reached a figure that was mutually agreed upon. Then the contract was signed, and after that, all this drama started.”
Directed and written by Abhishek Pathak, ‘Drishyam 3’ is scheduled to be released on October 2, 2026.
