Akshaye Khanna Out of Drishyam 3?

The thriller ‘Drishyam’ became a blockbuster in Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Tamil. The combination of director Jeethu Joseph and star Mohanlal was widely praised. The franchise’s second installment was also a huge success. The Hindi version starring Ajay Devgn released in 2022 and earned over ₹300 crores at the box office. Now, ‘Drishyam 3’ is on the way. The Malayalam version has finished shooting and is planned for release next summer, while the Hindi version has already started shooting with stars Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Shriya, directed by Abhishek Pathak, scheduled for release on October 2, 2026.

However, reports suggest that popular actor Akshaye Khanna has opted out of the film. He played a police officer in ‘Drishyam 2’ and reportedly demanded a higher remuneration and some changes to his role for the third part. This caused differences between the actor and producers. Even if true, there is still a possibility that Akshaye Khanna may rejoin the project.