Dhurandhar star Akshaye Khanna has left Drishyam 3 days after the makers announced the release date of the film, sources told NDTV.
Insiders said the actor exited the project over remuneration issues.
Drishyam 3 lead star Ajay Devgn announced October 2, 2026, as the release date of the movie on Monday.
Akshaye Khanna entered the Drishyam crime thriller franchise with Drishyam 2, which hit the theatres in 2022. In the film, he essayed the role of IG Tarun Ahlawat, who is a close friend and colleague of his predecessor Meera Deshmukh (Tabu).
Akshaye Khanna is having a great 2025, with the twin successes of his films Chhaava and Dhurandhar. The actor began the year with Chhaava in which he played Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to Vicky Kaushal’s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
In Dhurandhar, he starred as Rehman Dakait, based on the real-life Lyari gangster of the same name. Akshaye Khanna garnered special acclaim and popularity for his dance in the song FA9LA from Dhurandhar, which continues to keep the Internet buzzing. Both Dhurandhar and Chhaava are the highest-earning Indian films of 2025.
Akshaye Khanna will next be seen in Mahakali, which marks his Telugu film debut. He will play Asuraguru Shukracharya in the movie. Written by Prasanth Varma of Hanuman fame and directed by Puja Aparna Kolluru, Mahakali is a superhero film which will see Bhoomi Shetty portray the role of Goddess Kali.
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