The controversy surrounding Akshaye Khanna‘s professional conduct continues to grow. After producer Kumar Mangat Pathak spoke about his bad experience with the actor on Drishyam 3, writer director Manish Gupta has now come forward with shocking revelations about working with Akshaye on Section 375. The director accused the actor of unprofessional behavior and revealed how he was removed from his own film.
Manish Gupta’s allegations paint a troubling picture of what happened behind the scenes of Section 375, the film that marked Akshaye’s comeback after a decade.
Akshaye Left Director Stranded For Six Months
In 2017, Akshaye signed Section 375 with Manish Gupta as director and writer, and Kumar Mangat as producer. His fee was fixed at Rs 2 crores, and he took an advance of Rs 21 lakhs after signing the contract. However, Akshaye suddenly gave away the dates he had committed to the film to another movie, The Accidental Prime Minister.
He flew off to London to shoot that movie, leaving Manish and his crew waiting idle for six months. This breach of contract caused significant delays and financial losses to the production.
Actor Demanded Rs 3.25 Crores After Returning
After finishing The Accidental Prime Minister, Akshaye came back and started demanding Rs 3.25 crores instead of the Rs 2 crores he had signed for in the contract. This was a clear breach of his agreement. His unreasonable demands did not end there.
Akshaye wanted to fully control the film and wanted everything done his way. However, Manish Gupta is not the sort of director who gives in to the whims of any actor. He stood up to Akshaye’s unreasonable behavior.
Director Accuses Akshaye Of Demanding His Removal
Since it was hurting Akshaye’s ego to take orders from an authoritarian director like Manish, he started pestering producer Kumar Mangat to remove Manish as the director of the film. Akshaye wanted the entire control of the film given to him instead.
Manish revealed a shocking detail. Producer Kumar Mangat, instead of disciplining the actor’s unreasonable behavior, made Manish a scapegoat and removed him as the director. The producer seized Manish’s fully written bound script and the hard drive containing his three years of hard work on pre production.
Legal Notices Sent, Out Of Court Settlement Done
Manish warned Akshaye that he would drag him to court. He sent two legal notices to producer Kumar Mangat. His lawyers Naik Naik and Co were filing a case at Bombay High Court against both of them. However, Kumar Mangat promptly did an out of court settlement with Manish.
The film eventually released with Ajay Bahl credited as director, but Manish’s name remains as the solo writer of the story, screenplay, and dialogues. This confirms that the film was solely his vision.
Manish Comments On Drishyam 3 Situation
Manish pointed out the irony that today, when producer Kumar Mangat is facing the brunt of Akshaye’s unethical behavior on Drishyam 3, Mangat has taken legal action against Akshaye. The director acknowledged that Akshaye is a brilliant actor but pointed out his lack of ethics.
About Section 375
Section 375 is a 2019 courtroom drama that marked Akshaye Khanna’s comeback after a decade. Originally written and developed by Manish Gupta with Kumar Mangat as producer, the film was eventually directed by Ajay Bahl after Manish was removed from the project. Manish retains sole credit for the story, screenplay, and dialogues. More details about the original vision are awaited.
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