Jaideep Ahlawat replaces Akshaye Khanna in ‘Drishyam 3’; legal notice sent to ‘Dhurandhar’ star
Mumbai (PTI): Film producer Kumar Mangat Pathak on Saturday said they’ve issued a legal notice to Akshaye Khanna for breach of agreement for the upcoming film, “Drishyam 3”, after the actor refused to be "part of the film via a text message".
Mangat Pathak said they had signed an agreement with Khanna last month for “Drishyam 3” and the actor was also given advance payment.
He further added that they decided to sign Jaideep Ahlawat on Friday as their shoot was getting affected.
Written and directed by Abhishek Pathak, the film is presented by Star Studio18. It is produced by Alok Jain, Ajit Andhare, Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek.
“We were working on ‘Drishyam 3’ for two years and Akshaye was aware of this. We had narrated the entire script to him and he had liked it. Before signing the agreement, we negotiated on his acting fee thrice and only after it was okay for both of us, we signed the agreement and gave him the signing amount,” Mangat Pathak, who has earlier backed “Omkara”, “No Smoking”, and “Section 375”, told PTI.
Khanna and his team were approached for a comment. They are yet to respond to the producer's claim. Without disclosing the exact signing amount, Mangat Pathak said that he was given "whatever fees he had asked for", which is three times more than "Drishyam 2".
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"Drishyam 3" is headlined by Ajay Devgn, who plays the role of Vijay Salgaonkar, and Tabu is seen as former cop Meera Deshmukh.
In "Drishyam 2", Khanna essayed the role of IG Tarun Ahlawat who investigates the murder of Meera’s son Sam.
The producer said that Khanna signed the film only after long discussions on his looks.
“We also went a little back and forth for his look in the film, like he wanted to wear a wig and we told him that it would not look authentic if we suddenly gave his character a new look. He agreed to it and then we signed the agreement at his farmhouse in Alibaug, where he hugged Abhishek (director) and even said, ‘This is going to be a Rs. 500 crores film’,” the producer said.
“…But one day, he messaged saying, ‘I’m not doing the film’ and when he tried to reach out to him, he did not respond to calls and messages. His message came a day or two before the release of ‘Dhurandhar’,” he added.
He added that they were left with no other option but to take legal action, since Khanna had stopped responding to them.
“He didn’t respond to us when we sent him legal notice as he did not comply with the rules of the agreement. The notice was sent to him last week stating that, ‘You’ve to work according to the agreement and if you don't then we will file a case against you in the court’. It’s been a week he has not responded.
"We will be deciding on the next course of our action soon against him. We don’t know if the wig is the actual reason for not doing the film or was there something else. It’s a completely wrong thing that is happening,” he said.
“The work was also done on Akshaye’s look including his costumes, the filming for the movie too had begun from December 18 at YRF studios. He had given us dates till March. We are suffering losses because of him. Hence, we signed Jaideep,” he said.
Mangat Pathak, who has been working in the industry for close to five decades, described the chain of events as “disappointing”.
Having worked with Khanna on two of their films, “Aakrosh” and “Section 375”, the producer said they “never had any differences in the past”.
"He used to be a media shy person but today he is seen almost everywhere (on social media). We can clearly see there’s a paid campaign happening,” Mangat Pathak said, adding, it seems "the success of 'Dhurandhar' has gone to Khanna’s head".
The film is set to release in theatres on October 2, 2026.
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3 killed in landslide during road widening at Hulikal ghats in K'taka, CM announces ex-gratia
Shivamogga (Karnataka) (PTI): Three labourers were killed and four others injured after a landslide struck a road construction site at Hulikal Ghat in this district, police said on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Raghavendra (37), Raju (30), and Shabbir (40), all engaged in wall construction work at the site, they said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the families of the deceased.
The incident occurred late Thursday afternoon at a hairpin bend in Hulikal Ghat in Hosanagara taluk, they said.
According to officials, a massive landslide of soil and rocks from the hillside buried the workers.
A total of seven workers were caught in the landslip. Three labourers died on the spot after being trapped under the debris.
Rescue teams managed to pull out four injured workers and shift them to hospitals in nearby areas, including Kundapura and Udupi, for treatment, they said.
The mishap took place during ongoing efforts to build a retaining wall aimed at ensuring the safety of vehicles navigating the ghat section, which is known for its steep curves and landslide-prone terrain.
An SDRF team from Mangaluru reached the place early Friday morning and took up relief work.
Police, fire and emergency personnel rushed to the spot soon after the incident and launched rescue operations.
Authorities said the sudden collapse of loose soil and rocks from the upper slope is suspected to have triggered the landslip.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to ascertain whether adequate safety measures were in place at the worksite.
Taking to 'X', CM Siddaramaiah said that regarding the incident, I have spoken with District In-charge Minister Madhu Bangarappa and obtained information.
"I am deeply saddened to hear the news that three workers lost their lives when soil collapsed during the construction of a road barrier at a bend in Hulikal Ghat, in Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga district. I pray that the souls of the deceased unfortunate workers attain eternal peace, and that their family members find the strength to bear this sorrow," he said.
These breadwinning lives, which were the support of their families, have been lost in this tragedy, and on humanitarian grounds, a compensation of Rs five lakh each will be provided to the families of the deceased workers, the chief minister added.
