Days after lead actor Ajay Devgn revealed the film`s release date, Dhurandhar star Akshaye Khanna left Drishyam 3. According to NDTV, the actor quit the project because of a pay dispute.
A recent source claims that after the twin successes of Dhurandhar and Chhaava, Akshaye Khanna changed his pay to Rs 21 crore. Due to financial restrictions, this did not sit well with the Drishyam 3 makers.
In Dhurandhar, Akshaye stole the stage, and in Chhaava, he was a terrifying villain. He`s emerged as the next great thing. He made the decision to adjust his fees after realizing this. As a result, he demanded Rs 21 crore from the Drishyam 3 producers.
Here`s why Akshaye Khanna quit Drishyam 3
“Drishyam 3`s creators were shocked. They attempted to convince him that the movie would go over budget if he received a huge salary. However, Akshaye Khanna believed that his demand was warranted. He was aware that his presence today greatly increased the anticipation for a movie”, a source told Bollywood Hungama.
One of the most talked-about parts of Dhurandhar has been Akshaye Khanna`s portrayal of the Lyari gangster Rehman Dakait, with his moves on the now-viral song FA9LA being the icing on the cake.
Another insider cited in the Bollywood Hungama post claimed that Akshaye Khanna`s insistence on wearing a wig was another point of disagreement between him and the Drishyam 3 production.
“One of them was that Akshaye suggested that he`d like to wear a wig. The makers were not comfortable with the idea, probably because he was without a wig in the second part,” the source added.
According to the first insider, Akshaye Khanna chose to leave Drishyam 3 since his requests were not fulfilled. “The parting happened on a good note and the makers hope to collaborate with Akshaye in future when they`ll be on the same page.”
On the work front
In 2022, Akshaye Khanna joined the Drishyam franchise as IG Tarun Ahlawat, a close friend of IG Meera Deshmukh (Tabu) who is determined to put Ajay Devgn`s Vijay Salgaonkar in jail for killing her son Sam.
Mahakali, Akshaye Khanna`s Telugu debut, will be his next film.