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.

Akshay Khanna is enjoying the super success of ‘Dhurandhar’ these days. People have liked the actor’s character of Rehman Dacoit in the film and with this his popularity has reached its peak. Amidst all this, Akshay Khanna has stepped away from the third part of the superhit film ‘Drishyam’. It is being said that the actor has left this film due to fees and many other issues. Now the producer of ‘Drishyam 3’ has revealed the real reason for Akshay Khanna leaving the film.

,He wanted to wear a wig…”
Producer of ‘Drishyam 3’ Kumar Mangat Pathak has revealed what happened and why Akshay Khanna is no longer a part of the film. According to the report of Hindustan Times, Kumar Mangat Pathak started his talk by saying that an official contract had been signed with the actor and his fee was decided after several rounds of negotiations. He said, “We had made an agreement with Akshay Khanna. His fees were also fixed after several negotiations on his part. He insisted that he would like to wear a wig. But (director) Abhishek Pathak explained to him that it would not be practical as it would create a problem in the continuity of the film, since Drishyam 3 is a sequel. He understood his point and dropped his demand.”

Kumar Mangat further said, “However, the sycophants 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 this film at all.”

Akshay’s energy on set is toxic
Kumar made many serious allegations against Akshay’s behavior and said that problems related to professional attitude are nothing new. He said, “There was a time when Akshay was nothing. At the same time I made ‘Section 375’ (2019) with him. Even then many people advised us not to work with him because of his non-professional behavior. His energy on the set is absolutely toxic. ‘Section 375’ gave him recognition. Later I signed him in ‘Drishyam 2’ (2022). It was only after ‘Drishyam 2’ that he got the role. Before getting all the big offers, he was sitting at home for 3-4 years.”

Many factors worked in favor of Dhurandhar
Kumar also talked about the actor’s perception of stardom after his recent successes. He added, “Also, it is worth noting that Ajay Devgan is in the lead role in the Drishyam franchise. Chhaava is Vicky Kaushal’s film which also stars Akshay. The same applies to Dhurandhar – it is Ranveer Singh’s film. If Akshay does the film alone, it will not be able to make even Rs 50 crore in India. Forget lifetime collections, if he thinks he has become a superstar, then he should try making a superstar budget film with a studio.” Should do it and see who gives green signal to his film with such a big budget.”

Success has gone to Akshay Khanna’s head
He further said, some actors do films with multiple actors and when those films become big hits, they start feeling that they are the stars. The same thing happened with him too. He considers himself a superstar. Success has gone to his head…he told us, ‘Dhurandhar is running because of me.’ He should understand that many factors were working in Dhurandhar’s favor.”

Akshay will have to suffer loss if he leaves the film
Pathak further said that Akshay had given a very positive reaction to the script. He said, “When he heard the script at his farmhouse in Alibaug, he liked it so much that he told us, ‘This is a Rs 500 crore film. I have never heard such a script in my life.’ He also hugged Abhishek and the writer. Then, we had a conversation, after which we agreed on the fees. We also signed the agreement. He also got advance while we paid the designer for his clothes and then 10 days before the shooting started, he refused to work in the film.”

Jaideep Ahlawat replaced Akshay in the film
The producer stressed that the change in casting will not affect the franchise. He said, “Drishyam is a very big brand. It doesn’t matter whether he is in the film or not. Now he has been replaced by Jaideep Ahlawat. By the grace of God, we have got a better actor than Akshay and most importantly, a better person than Akshay. I had produced one of the early films of Jaideep’s career, Aakrosh (2010).”

Kumar also confirmed that the controversy will have financial and legal consequences. He said, “I have suffered loss due to their behaviour. I am going to take legal action. I have already sent them a legal notice; they have not responded yet.”