Amidst the controversy surrounding his exit from Drishyam 3, Akshaye Khanna seems to have started shoot for his Telugu Debut Mahakali. The film, part of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU), will be directed by Puja Aparna Kolluru.
Puja posted a series of photos on her Instagram account and one of them includes a selfie with Akshaye, which shows him flashing his trademark smile. "Grateful 2025! You pushed me beyond my limits and introduced me to me!" she captioned the post.
Akshaye will be playing the role of sage Shukracharya in the film while the lead role of Maha will be played by Bhoomi Shetty. The film has been conceptualised by Prasanth, who previously directed Hanu-Man (2024).
As per reports, Akshaye exited Drishyam 3 over disagreements on his remuneration and his look in the film. He reportedly demanded Rs 21 crore following the twin successes of Dhurandhar and Chhaava.
"Akshaye was menacing as the villain in Chhaava, while he stole the show, and how, in Dhurandhar. He has become the next big thing. Realising the same, he decided to revise his fees. Accordingly, he asked for Rs 21 crore from the makers of Drishyam 3," a source told Bollywood Hungama.
Another point of contention between Akshaye and the Drishyam 3 team was his request to wear a wig for his role. "Akshaye suggested he'd like to wear a wig. The makers were not comfortable with the idea, probably because he was without a wig in the second part," the source added.
Recently, in an interview, Drishyam 3 producer Kumar Mangat Pathak said that Akshaye left the project just a day before the release of Dhurandhar. Jaideep Ahlawat has replaced Akshaye now in the film.
The last year has been tremendous for Akshaye with his role of Rehman Dakait in the blockbuster Dhurandhar (2025) attaining widespread popularity. His performance in Chhaava (2025) as the Mughal king Aurangzeb was also acclaimed by the audiences.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar also starred Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Ramapal, R Madhavan and Sara Arjun in pivotal roles.