{
  "id": 6437787,
  "title": "‘Not a replacement for Akshaye Khanna’: Jaideep Ahlawat explains his Drishyam 3 role",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/not-a-replacement-for-akshaye-khanna-jaideep-ahlawat-explains-his",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-09T16:25:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/jaideep-ahlawat-drishyam-3-not-a-replacement-for-akshaye-khanna-10870542/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In December 2025, Akshaye Khanna faced controversy when reports emerged of his exit from Drishyam 3. Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak claimed Khanna requested a remuneration revision due to the success of Dhurandhar, leading to a fallout. However, Jaideep Ahlawat later clarified that he was not replacing Khanna's character but rather adding a new role to the story. Ahlawat emphasized that he was not stepping into Khanna's shoes and felt no pressure to do so. He explained that the script had been completely reworked and that his character was written as an entirely new addition. Ahlawat stated, \"I am not replacing Akshaye Khanna. When I read the story, it was nowhere mentioned or said that he was a replacement to Akshaye Khanna. One character's journey ends and another character's journey starts. My character isn't existing because of someone else, but has his own journey. They have written it very well.\" Ajay Devgn also addressed the controversy, explaining that the film would expand the investigation while avoiding repetition from previous films.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Press Journal",
        "title": "Jaideep Ahlawat REACTS To Replacing Akshaye Khanna In Drishyam 3: 'New Character Is Introduced, No Point In Taking...'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/jaideep-ahlawat-reacts-to-replacing-akshaye-khanna-in-drishyam-3-new",
        "published": "2026-09-09T13:22:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Jaideep Ahlawat on his Drishyam role: 'Not a replacement for Akshaye Khanna'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/jaideep-ahlawat-on-his-drishyam-role-not-a-replacement-for-akshaye",
        "published": "2026-09-10T04:38:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}