Long before the current noise around Drishyam 3, Akshaye Khanna had already earned a reputation in the industry that made filmmakers cautious. One of them was Priyadarshan, who says he was actively warned
against casting the actor in his early years.Speaking in a recent interview with Mid-Day, Priyadarshan looked back at his first film with Akshaye, Doli Saja Ke Rakhna.
He recalled how people around him tried to dissuade him from signing the actor, saying, “In my first film with Akshaye Khanna, Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998), everybody had discouraged me from signing him on. They said he is difficult and moody.”
Despite the warnings, Priyadarshan went ahead with the casting. What followed, he says, was the exact opposite of what he had been told. Sharing his personal experience, the filmmaker added, “But I fell in love with him from the first film itself. I never found him difficult. If I called him at 5am, he would be there on time. He is a darling, and we’ve never had a bitter moment together in (the six films we did). He is least bothered by criticism.”
The two went on to work together on several films after Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, building a long professional association that included titles like Aakrosh, Hulchul and Hungama. For Priyadarshan, those collaborations only reinforced his view of Akshaye as a committed and disciplined actor.
Priyadarshan’s comments come at a time when Akshaye has been in the news following his exit from Drishyam 3. Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak had earlier claimed that the actor left the film shortly before the shoot, leading to questions about his professionalism. Director Abhishek Pathak later addressed the situation, explaining that the disagreement stemmed from Akshaye’s look in the film. He said, “All this happened after the contract was signed in November. He left the movie five days before it was going on the floors. The look was locked, costumes were getting made, the narration had happened, and he loved the story.”
Abhishek further explained the issue, adding, “My film starts from the point where it ended. I couldn’t have him in the courtroom in the afternoon, and in the evening, he comes back with hair. How is it possible? That was the point I explained and convinced him. A few days later, this came up again, and that’s when we said we would work it out.”
As of now, Akshaye Khanna is being widely praised for his role in Dhurandhar, the portrayal of gangster Rehman Dakait, which many critics and fans say stood out even in a star-studded cast.
