Amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding Akshaye Khanna's departure from Drishyam 3, comments made by Manish Gupta, the writer of the 2019 film Section 375, have resurfaced and are gaining traction. Gupta's remarks, critical of Khanna's behavior during the making of Section 375, add another layer of complexity to the actor's current professional predicament.

The Drishyam 3 controversy erupted when producer Kumar Mangat Pathak revealed that Akshaye Khanna had exited the project despite signing an agreement and receiving an advance. Pathak cited Khanna's alleged unprofessional behavior, including a demand for a wig that created continuity issues, as the primary reason for the fallout. He also claimed that Khanna's success with the recent series Dhurandhar had inflated his ego, leading to unreasonable demands and an overall toxic attitude on set. Pathak stated he has sent Khanna a legal notice regarding the matter. Jaideep Ahlawat has reportedly replaced Khanna in Drishyam 3.

Adding fuel to the fire, an old interview with Manish Gupta, the writer of Section 375, has resurfaced. In the interview, Gupta accuses Khanna of "playing dirty politics" and orchestrating his removal as the director of Section 375. Gupta claims he spent three years writing the film, including extensive research, meeting with judges, lawyers, and rape victims, and developing the initial concept inspired by the Shiney Ahuja case.

Gupta alleges that he was responsible for the entire pre-production process, including casting Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, and Rahul Bhat. However, he says that the producer and lead actor engaged in "dirty politics," resulting in him only receiving credit as the writer. He described Khanna as "lazy and whimsical" and stated that the actor "insults everyone". Gupta suggests that actors are treated like gods in Bollywood, which inflates their egos, even if they are not major stars. He recounted, "It took me 3 years to write Section 375. I sat in 160 court hearings. I did lots of research, met judges, lawyers and rape victims. I got the idea of the film from Shiney Ahuja's case".

Section 375 is a legal thriller that explores the complexities of Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with rape laws. The film received generally positive reviews, with particular praise for Akshaye Khanna and Richa Chadha's performances. However, some critics found fault with the film's ending.

These resurfaced comments from Manish Gupta arrive at a time when Akshaye Khanna is already facing criticism for his alleged unprofessional behavior on the set of Drishyam 3. The Drishyam franchise producer, Kumar Mangat Pathak, has been particularly vocal, stating that Khanna demanded a higher fee and insisted on wearing a wig, causing production issues. Pathak also claimed that Khanna's success had gone to his head, and he had become difficult to work with.

As of today, Akshaye Khanna has not responded to either Kumar Mangat Pathak's allegations regarding Drishyam 3 or Manish Gupta's earlier criticisms about Section 375.