By Admin 
After Akshay Khanna’s exit from ‘Drishyam 3’, Jaideep Ahlawat has joined the film along with other actors including Ajay Devgan and Tabu. There were many reports that Jaideep Ahlawat has replaced Akshay Khanna in the film. However, director Abhishek Pathak recently cleared these claims and also revealed the role of Jaideep Ahlawat.
Did Jaideep Ahlawat replace Akshay Khanna?,
Abhishek Pathak told Bombay Times, “No, Jaideep is not replacing Akshay. I am writing a new character.” Earlier, producer Kumar Mangat Pathak had said that after Akshay’s departure, Jaideep will replace him. He also called Jaideep a better actor than Akshay.
Kumar Mangat Pathak had said in a conversation with Bollywood Hungama, “Drishyam is a very big universe. It does not matter whether Akshay is there in the film or not. Now Jaideep Ahlawat has taken his place. By the grace of God, we have got a better actor than Akshay, and most importantly, we have got a better person than Akshay. I had produced one of the early films of Jaideep’s career, Aakrosh (2010).”
Why did Akshaye Khanna leave Drishyam 3?
Kumar Mangat Pathak told Bollywood Hungama, “We had made an agreement with Akshay Khanna. His fee was also fixed after several talks. He insisted that he would like to wear a wig. But (director) Abhishek Pathak explained to him that it would not be practical because Drishyam 3 is a sequel, so it would create continuity problems for the story.”
He further said, “He understood our point and agreed to give up his demand. However, people around him advised him that wearing a wig would make him look smarter. So he made the same request again. Abhishek agreed and was even ready to talk to him about it. But then he told us that he did not want to be a part of the film at all.”
Akshaye Khanna enjoying the success of ‘Dhurandhar’
Meanwhile, Akshaye Khanna has not yet given any reaction on these claims. The actor is currently enjoying the success of Dhurandhar. One of the recently released films, Dhurandhar created a stir at the box office in 2025. On the basis of its strong acting and interesting story, it quickly crossed the figure of ₹ 1150 crore worldwide. Currently, this film is the second highest grossing Bollywood film after Aamir Khan’s Dangal.