What Akshaye Khanna Said When Asked If He Will Ever Join Social Media

Akshaye Khanna's long-standing views on fame, visibility and keeping a low public profile have resurfaced amid the massive success of Dhurandhar, and now, his sudden exit from Drishyam 3.

What's Happening

• As Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar continues to draw praise for Akshaye Khanna's performance, an old 2019 interview of the actor with Rajeev Masand has gone viral on social media. 
• When Masand pointed out that he had largely stayed away from social media and asked if that was something he wanted to change, Akshaye responded, "I think I would like to change it a little bit, not dramatic [change]. I definitely make baby steps okay. I would go see how one feels about it [or] see how the audience reacts."
• He also spoke about career breaks and how absence is often viewed in the industry, saying, "Someone asked me you know you didn't work for two three years you know what do you do right and I answered then when I said you know I honestly genuinely feel this whether it's a person who's struggling to be an actor right or that struggle is taking an unusually long time."

Background

The resurfaced interview has gained renewed attention just as controversy has erupted around Akshaye Khanna's exit from the Hindi remake of Drishyam 3. 

While the project was expected to move into full swing following its formal announcement, producer Kumar Mangat Pathak of Panorama Studios has revealed that the actor stepped away from the film under unexpected circumstances.

In an interview with The Times of India, Pathak said Akshaye walked out of Drishyam 3 just a day before the release of Dhurandhar. 

According to the producer, the decision came as a shock, especially since the actor had been enthusiastic after hearing the narration. He recalled that Akshaye had hugged the director after the script session and had even predicted that the film would cross the Rs 500 crore mark.

Pathak added that Akshaye had already been paid an advance after multiple discussions finalising his remuneration. However, less than two weeks before shooting was scheduled to begin, he received a message from the actor stating that he was leaving the project. Subsequent attempts to contact him, the producer claimed, went unanswered.

Reacting strongly, Pathak said, "At least walk out graciously. How can you not respond to calls and messages?"

Speaking separately to NDTV, the producer denied reports that payment issues were the reason behind the exit, stating that Akshaye's remuneration had been negotiated three times. 

He further alleged that the actor stopped responding to calls altogether, prompting Panorama Studios to initiate the process of sending a legal notice.

Pathak also revealed that creative differences over the hairstyle of Akshaye's character, IG Tarun Ahlawat, contributed to the fallout. 

Despite attempts to resolve the issue internally, communication eventually broke down, he said.

Akshaye Khanna had joined the Drishyam franchise in 2022 as Tarun Ahlawat, an ally of Tabu's IG Meera Deshmukh in her pursuit of Ajay Devgn's Vijay Salgaonkar. Following his exit, Jaideep Ahlawat has now been brought on board to take over the role.