Jaideep Ahlawat denies replacing Akshaye Khanna in Drishyam 3
Amid rumours that a pay hike after Dhurandhar pushed Akshaye Khanna out of Drishyam 3, Jaideep Ahlawat says his role was written as a separate, independent character.
Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 3 has been generating buzz since its trailer released, with Devgn reprising the role of Vijay Salgaonkar. The film also introduces new faces to the story, including actor Jaideep Ahlawat, whose entry has revived talk about Akshaye Khanna's exit from the franchise.
There had been speculation that Jaideep Ahlawat was stepping into the character earlier played by Akshaye Khanna, and reports had suggested that Khanna raised his fee after the success of Dhurandhar, leading to his exit from Drishyam 3. Ahlawat has now addressed these rumours directly.
At the trailer launch event for Drishyam 3 held in Goa on September 9, Ahlawat was asked about comparisons with Akshaye Khanna. He said that when he was offered the role, he was never told he was replacing Khanna's character.
According to Ahlawat, one character's story ends and another's begins from there. He said his character has its own separate journey, its own identity and its own relationships, so there is no question of comparing it with the character played by Akshaye Khanna.
He added that his character's equation with Meera, played by Tabu, has also been written in a completely different way, so he feels no pressure to draw comparisons with the earlier character. In Drishyam 3, Jaideep Ahlawat plays Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Rajveer Singh Tomar. In the trailer, his entry appears to add to the troubles in Vijay Salgaonkar's life, raising curiosity about what his character will do in the story.
In December 2025, reports had emerged that Akshaye Khanna was exiting Drishyam 3. Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak had said at the time that after the deal was signed, differences arose with Khanna over certain issues, including his fee and matters related to his role. The makers then brought Jaideep Ahlawat on board. At the time too, director Abhishek Pathak had clarified that Ahlawat was not replacing Akshaye Khanna, and that a separate, new character had been written for him.
It is now clear that Jaideep Ahlawat's role is entirely separate, rather than the result of Akshaye Khanna's fee rising after Dhurandhar and being dropped from Drishyam 3. What new challenge Rajveer Singh Tomar poses for Vijay Salgaonkar will only be known once the film releases.
