Dhurandhar star Akshaye Khanna walked out of Drishyam 3, days after the release date of the film was announced by the lead star Ajay Devgn. NDTV reported that the actor left the project due to disagreement over remuneration.
According to a new report, Akshaye Khanna revised his fee to Rs 21 crore following the twin successes of Dhurandhar and Chhaava and that didn't sit well with the Drishyam 3 makers due to budgetary constraints.
"Akshaye was menacing as the villain in Chhaava, while he stole the show, and how, in Dhurandhar. He has become the next big thing. Realising the same, he decided to revise his fees. Accordingly, he asked for Rs 21 crore from the makers of Drishyam 3.
"The makers of Drishyam 3 were taken aback. They tried to reason with him that if he's paid a bomb, the film would go over-budget. But Akshaye Khanna felt that he was justified in his demand. He knew that his presence now significantly enhanced the excitement for a film," a source told Bollywood Hungama.
Akshaye Khanna's performance as the Lyari gangster Rehman Dakait has been one of the most talked about highlights of Dhurandhar, with his moves on the now viral song FA9LA just being the cherry on top.
The Bollywood Hungama report quoted another insider who said that another bone of contention between Akshaye Khanna and the Drishyam 3 team was his demand to wear a wig.
"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.
The first insider stated that as Akshaye Khanna's demands were not met, he decided to exit Drishyam 3.
"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."
Akshaye Khanna entered the Drishyam franchise back in 2022 as IG Tarun Ahlawat, a confidant of IG Meera Deshmukh (Tabu) who is hell-bent on getting Ajay Devgn's Vijay Salgaonkar behind the bars for the murder of her son Sam.
Akshaye Khanna will next be seen in Mahakali, his Telugu debut.
Also Read | Ranveer Out Of Don 3, Akshaye Khanna Out Of Drishyam 3: How Dhurandhar Is Changing The Future Of Bollywood
