With the developers establishing a theatrical release date of October 2, 2026, the announcement of Drishyam 3 had created enormous expectation. But when Akshaye Khanna departed the movie, the anticipation was soon followed by shock. Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak has officially addressed the rumors surrounding Akshaye's departure from the movie and whether Jaideep Ahlawat would take the Dhurandhar star's place.

Kumar Mangat Pathak slammed Akshaye Khanna

Kumar Mangat Pathak spoke to Bollywood Hungama, "We had signed an agreement with Akshaye Khanna. His fees also got locked after a lot of renegotiations from his side. He insisted that he would like to wear a wig. But (director) Abhishek Pathak convinced him that it wouldn’t be practical, as it would result in continuity issues since Drishyam 3 is a sequel."