Dhurandhar Villain Out, Jaideep Ahlawat In: Drishyam 3 Producer Confirms 'Toxic' Akshaye Khanna's Replacement In Ajay Devgn Starrer

2025 is in its last lap, but the casting controversies seem to be endless. After rows over ambiguous exits of actors from Hera Pheri 3, Don 3, Spirit and Kalki 2898 AD Part 2, the Ajay Devgn starrer Drishyam 3 has stirred speculations. Days after the rumours were afloat that Akshaye Khanna had decided to exit the franchise, the producer of the movie, Kumar Mangat Pathak, confirmed that the actor had been replaced. The Pataal Lok fame Jaideep Ahlawat will now take on the role of IG Tarun Ahlawat, played by the Dhurandhar villain in the first two movies.

We Have Got a Better Person Than Akshaye: Drishyam 3 producer confirms actor's exit from the film 

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, the producer of Drishyam 3, Kumar Mangat Pathak, shared his harsh reactions to Akshaye Khanna's sudden exit from the movie. In the conversation, he shared that the actor had already signed the contract, agreed on his remuneration and other conditions, but walked out of the film 10 days before the shoot began. He added, “Drishyam is a very big brand. It doesn’t matter whether he is in the film or not. Now, Jaideep Ahlawat has replaced him. By the grace of God, we have got a better actor than Akshaye, and most importantly, we have got a better person than Akshaye as well. I had produced one of the first films of Jaideep's career, Aakrosh (2010).”

Also Read: Dhurandhar Is Now The Highest Grossing Bollywood Movie Ever! 

In the same conversation, Pathak confirmed that he would be taking legal action against Akshaye Khanna for his unprofessional behaviour. He added that the actor's starry airs come from the unprecedented success of Dhurandhar and Chhaava, which he shared are multi-starrer projects, and the success cannot be credited to a single actor. He remarked, “There was a time when Akshaye was nothing. That’s when I made Section 375 (2019) with him. Even then, so many people told us not to work with him because of his unprofessional behaviour. His energy on set is absolutely toxic. Section 375 got him recognition. Later, I signed him in Drishyam 2 (2022).  He has got all the big offers only after Drishyam 2. Uske pehle woh 3-4 saal tak ghar pe baitha hua tha.”

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Kumar Mangat Pathak also revealed, “When he (Akshaye) heard the script in his Alibaug farmhouse, he liked it so much that he told us, ‘Yeh Rs. 500 crore ki film hai. Maine life mein aisi script nahin suni hai’. He even hugged Abhishek and the writer. Then, we had negotiations, after which we agreed on the fees. We even signed the agreement. He even got an advance while we paid the designer for his clothes. And then 10 days before his shoot, he declined to work on the film.”

Also Read: Drishyam 3 Makers To Sue Akshaye Khanna, Calls His Exit 'Unprofessional' 

Akshaye Khanna is yet to react to the speculations around his sudden exit from Drishyam 3. Jaideep Ahlawat has also not reacted to his association with the project.