In a recent interview, 'Drishyam 3' producer, Mangat Pathak revealed that Akshaye Khanna is ignoring his calls and messages after his exit.
Akshaye Khanna is currently hogging the limelight for his dance moves and stylish screen presence in the spy-action thriller, Dhurandhar. His impromptu moves on the track, Fa9la has gone viral. While the Dhurandhar actor was all set to reprise his role in the hit Drishyam franchise starring Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran and Ishita Dutta, he has stepped down from Drishyam 3 at the last moment. In a recent interview, the film’s producer, Mangat Pathak, revealed that Akshaye is not responding to his calls and messages.
In a recent interview with ETimes, Drishyam 3 producer, Mangat Pathak, shared that after Akshaye signed the agreement, his costumes were finalised, and the payment for them was also made to the designer. However, the Dhurandhar star backed off the project by sending a text to the producer. Mangat highlighted that he is well aware of Akshaye’s missing-in-action attitude and called it highly unprofessional. He added that the actor is not responding to his calls and messages. He was quoted as saying:
"After he signed the agreement, his costumes were finalised and paid for. Just 12 days before the shoot was to commence on December 16, I got a text from him saying he wouldn’t be doing the film, and that we would definitely work together in the future. He has a tendency to go MIA whenever he wants to, and I am aware of that side of him, but this is highly unprofessional. How can you not respond to calls and messages? At least walk out graciously. We have known each other for 15 years!"
Soon after Akshaye Khanna stepped down from Drishyam 3, there was a huge buzz surrounding the possible reason behind his exit. According to an insider, Akshaye Khanna’s demand to wear a wig in Drishyam 3 and his sudden remuneration hike didn’t sit well with the makers. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Mangat confirmed Akshaye’s exit and shared that he wanted to wear a wig in the upcoming sequel. However, the director, Abhishek Pathak, tried to make the Dhurandhar star understand that it wouldn’t be possible, as it would result in continuity issues. Mangat was quoted as saying:
"We had signed an agreement with Akshaye Khanna. His fees also got locked after a lot of renegotiations from his side. He insisted that he would like to wear a wig. But (director) Abhishek Pathak convinced him that it wouldn’t be practical, as it would result in continuity issues since Drishyam 3 is a sequel."
Further in the interview, Mangat mentioned that Drishyam is a very big brand. He shared that whether Akshaye is in the film or not, it doesn’t matter. For the uninitiated, Akshaye played the role of an investigating officer, IG 'Tarun Ahlawat' in Drishyam 2. Mangat revealed that The Family Man 3 fame, Jaideep Ahlawat has replaced Akshaye in Drishyam 3. The film producer also called him a better actor and a better person than the Dhurandhar actor. Mangat added that he had produced one of the first films of Jaideep’s career. He was quoted as saying:
"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."
What are your thoughts on Mangat Pathak's revelation? Let us know.
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