Manish Gupta accused Akshaye Khanna of “dirty politics” over Drishyam 3, calling him “whimsical and lazy” as controversy grows around the actor exiting ‘Drishyam 3’.
Amid the controversy surrounding
Akshaye Khanna’s exit from ‘Drishyam 3’, an old interview of ‘Section 375’ writer Manish Gupta has resurfaced, where he accused the actor of orchestrating his removal as the film’s director. Gupta alleged that Khanna indulged in “dirty politics” and described him as “whimsical and lazy,” claiming he routinely insulted people on set.
Gupta made these claims during an appearance on the Kosmic Konnection podcast in September 2025. He said, “I wrote the whole film. I did the entire pre-production. I even roped in Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha and Rahul Bhat and signed them. I am the director of the movie. But the producer and the lead actor played very dirty politics with me. I got credit only for writing. This is Bollywood.” Ajay Bahl was credited as the director of the film.
Gupta further added, “Akshaye Khanna ki ego (Akshaye Khanna’s ego)… Actor ka kya hai na (with actors, the thing is) we have made them gods. The public doesn’t care about the movie, but the actor. Akshaye is not a big star but usko bhi sar pe chadhaya jaata hai. Producer ke liye woh bhagwan jaisa tha (he was also given preferential treatment. For the producer, he was like a god). They don’t care who is the director.”
Gupta did not have good words for Khanna, who he called “whimsical and lazy” and someone who would insult everyone on set.
“He is the most difficult person I have ever worked with. He is whimsical and lazy. Woh itna mushkil sa mahaul create karta hai ki… Har chiz uske hisab se honi chahiye. Kisi ki sunta nahi hai. Sabki beizzati karta hai. Actor accha hai par ek acha insaan hone mein farak hai. Uske saath koi kaam nahi karna chahta hai (He creates such a difficult environment that… everything has to be according to his wish. He doesn’t listen to anyone. He insults everyone. He’s a good actor, but there’s a difference between being a good actor and being a good person. Nobody wants to work with him). Because they know how difficult he is to work with,” Manish said.
He also added that no one wants to give Akshaye Khanna a lead role. However, when he did that, he only received “ungrateful” behaviour and called his ousting “ghatiya harkat.”
“No one wants to give him the hero’s role. Maine usko hero ka role diya. Itna acha script diya. Abhi ungrateful bolun ki kya bolun? Uski aise kaun si film aayi hai jismein woh solo hero hai? Usne mere saath hi aisa kiya. Usne bahut hi ghatiya harkat ki hai mere saath. (I gave him the lead role. I gave him such a great script. Now, should I call him ungrateful or what? In which of his films has he starred as a solo hero? He only did this to me. He has done something very despicable to me.)
While Akshaye Khanna is currently riding high on the success of ‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Chhava’, the resurfacing of Manish Gupta’s allegations has added another layer to the growing conversation around the actor being “unprofessional,” especially in the wake of his sudden exit from ‘Drishyam 3’. ‘Drishyam 3’ producer Kumar Mangat Pathak has claimed that he faced significant losses after Khanna left the project 12 days before shoot, while director Abhishek Pathak has challenged him to shoulder a solo film.
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