When Drishyam The Conclusion lost Akshaye Khanna at the last minute, the immediate worry was how the role would survive. The trade’s post-release verdict is sharper: the film did not just survive the switch; it may have transferred the credit to Jaideep Ahlawat.
A late exit, a last-minute gain
Akshaye Khanna walked out before the film went on floors, and Jaideep Ahlawat stepped in. The performance has been widely praised, and some in the trade now frame the episode as the rare casting change that served both the film and the actor who came in.
“If Akshaye Khanna had been in this film, people would have given him 50% of the credit for its blockbuster success,” distributor-exhibitor Raj Bansal told Bollywood Hungama.
His point is not that Jaideep was a weaker choice. It is that the director bet on the script and the character, and the result vindicated the decision.
What the trade is really arguing about
Exhibitor Vishek Chauhan widened the frame. For him, this is less about Akshaye Khanna’s missed opportunity and more about the commercial recognition Jaideep Ahlawat has been waiting for.
Chauhan argued that Jaideep deserves “commercial credit rather than being considered just a fine actor.” He also placed him in a lineage Hindi cinema understands: the raw energy and earthiness of Irrfan Khan. That comparison matters in trade circles because it signals a character actor being admitted to the mainstream star conversation.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan read the episode as destiny. He pointed to casting history:
- Darr was first meant for Aamir Khan before Shah Rukh Khan took it.
- Munna Bhai MBBS went to Sanjay Dutt after Shah Rukh Khan could not do it.
- Baazigar was offered to Akshay Kumar and Armaan Kohli, and both rejected it.
“The role chooses you. You can’t choose the role,” Mohan said, while crediting Abhishek Pathak’s writing and treatment for the film’s success.
The practical read
For Hindi cinema watchers, this is a useful case study in casting contingency. One decision does not erase an actor’s standing; Akshaye Khanna remains a formidable performer. But a well-timed replacement can change how the industry prices another actor’s commercial viability.
The next test is already visible: Vishek Chauhan said he looks forward to seeing Jaideep Ahlawat in Shah Rukh Khan’s King. If that film lands, the “fine actor” label will lose its limiting force.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
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