'Drishyam 3': How makers dealt with Akshaye Khanna's abrupt exit
What's the story
Abhishek Pathak, the writer-director of Drishyam 3, has opened up about a major hiccup that nearly derailed the film. Just days ahead of the shoot, actor Akshaye Khanna quit due to reported creative and monetary differences with the makers. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Pathak said he was unhappy with how things turned out but decided against delaying production despite the challenges.
Quick adaptation
Replacement, reshaping of character happened within five to six days
In just a few days, Pathak found a replacement for Khanna in Jaideep Ahlawat. He also had to rewrite parts of the script to suit Ahlawat's character.
"He was kind of replacing a character that had been liked by the audience," Pathak said, adding that Ahlawat found the new role fun after reading it.
The entire transition took place within five to six days. Shooting was to begin in a week, after Christmas last year, when Khanna decided to leave.
Production pressure
'There are so many people depending upon us to earn...'
Despite the last-minute changes, Pathak decided to go ahead with the shoot.
"The tough part was the call to continue, to just tell the team: 'Hold on, don't cancel anything. We will do it,'" he said.
"Set lag chuka tha (The set had been erected). We couldn't cancel. There are so many people depending upon us to earn money."
"Then, the dates we had were with combinations of so many actors...can't suddenly tell them to give me dates later."
Actor's adaptation
'It was a daunting task for Jaideep,' Pathak said
Pathak admitted that it was a daunting task for Ahlawat to step in at such short notice.
"To come at the last minute and blend into the character is something. It wasn't as if he had six months to prepare and do workshops," he explained.
Despite the pressure, Pathak said that Ahlawat handled it beautifully, adding that they both leaned on each other due to the time crunch.
Film information
Everything to know about 'Drishyam: The Conclusion'
The third installment of the Drishyam franchise, officially titled Drishyam: The Conclusion, will see Ajay Devgn reprising his role as Vijay Salgaonkar.
The film also stars Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav, and Kamlesh Sawant. New additions to the cast include Ahlawat, Prakash Raj, and Saurabh Shukla.
It is slated to hit theaters on October 2.