Kumar Mangat Pathak BLASTS Akshaye Khanna – “He insisted on a wig, signed an agreement, took advance and left Drishyam 3 just 10 days before the shoot; he has STOPPED taking my calls; success has gone into his head after Dhurandhar…I have sent him a legal notice

In recent days, there have been reports that Akshaye Khanna is not part of Drishyam 3.

Source covered this story on December 26, which made a lot of noise online. Now, Drishyam 3's producer Kumar Mangat Pathak has spoken exclusively to Bollywood Hungama to explain the situation. He accused Akshaye of being unprofessional and said he plans to take legal action against the actor. He also confirmed that Jaideep Ahlawat has taken over Akshaye's role in the film.

  

Kumar Mangat Pathak started by saying, "We had signed an agreement with Akshaye Khanna.

 His fees were finalized after several discussions from his side. He wanted to wear a wig. But (director) Abhishek Pathak convinced him that it wouldn’t work, as it could cause continuity issues in Drishyam 3, which is a sequel. He agreed to that initially, but the people around him said he would look smarter with a wig. So he asked again. Abhishek was ready to talk about this, but then Akshaye said he didn’t want to be part of the film at all."  

Kumar Mangat Pathak added, "There was a time when Akshaye was nothing.

 That’s when I made Section 375 (2019) with him. Even then, many people told us not to work with him because of his unprofessional attitude. His energy on set is really negative. Section 375 got him some recognition. Later, I signed him in Drishyam 2 (2022). He has only started getting major offers after Drishyam 2. Before that, he stayed at home for about three to four years."  

He said, "Also, it’s important to note that the Drishyam franchise is backed by Ajay Devgn.

 Chhaava is a Vicky Kaushal film along with Akshaye. The same goes for Dhurandhar — it's Ranveer Singh’s film. If Akshaye does a solo film, it won’t even collect Rs. 50 crores in India. Forget about lifetime success, if he thinks he is a superstar, then he should try making a film with a superstar budget. Some actors do ensemble films and after those become hits, they start thinking they are the star. That’s exactly what has happened to Akshaye. He thinks he is a superstar now. Success has gone to his head. He told us, ‘Dhurandhar is working because of me.’ He needs to understand that many factors helped Dhurandhar be successful."  

Kumar Mangat Pathak then said, "When he heard the script in his Alibaug farmhouse, he liked it so much that he told us, ‘This is a Rs. 500 crore film.

 I haven’t heard such a script in my life.’ He even hugged Abhishek and the writer. Then we had negotiations, and we agreed on the fees. We even signed the agreement. He even got an advance while we paid the designer for his clothes. But then, 10 days before his shoot, he said he doesn’t want to be part of the film anymore."  

Kumar Mangat Pathak stated, "Drishyam is a very big brand.

 It doesn’t matter if he is in the film or not. Now, Jaideep Ahlawat has taken over his role. By the grace of God, we have got a better actor than Akshaye and most importantly, a better person. I had produced one of the first films of Jaideep's career, Aakrosh (2010)."  

The producer then said, "I have suffered losses because of his behavior.

 I am going to take legal action. I have already sent him a legal notice; he hasn’t replied to it yet."  

Finally, Kumar Mangat Pathak expressed surprise over Akshaye’s demand for a wig.

 He said, "I was shocked. Drishyam 3 begins where Drishyam 2 ended. How can his character suddenly get hair? Is there any technology in the world that can grow hair within minutes?"