Hera Pheri 3 made the audience excited with the news of the OG trio, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty, returning to the franchise. However, fans were left disappointed when Paresh Rawal announced his exit from Hera Pheri 3 and it also led to Akshay Kumar sending him a legal notice.
The much awaited comedy series Hera Pheri 3 is back on track, and the biggest reason for this is Paresh Rawal’s return to the film. He will once again be seen playing his memorable character ‘Baburao’.
Director Priyadarshan spoke to HT City, opening up for the first time about the situation. He clarified that he had stayed out of the conflict entirely, “You won’t see a single comment of mine on the whole issue till today. I don’t believe in the politics of cinema. Suniel, Akshay and Paresh are my best friends. There was difference of opinion between them, that has been sorted. This is all I know. I don’t think anybody else is involved in it.”
Priyadarshan said that he is only committed to Akshay Kumar to do this film. “I’m only committed to Akshay Kumar for this film. I don’t know anybody else. You won’t find a single public comment of mine on this issue till now.”
While Priyadarshan didn’t directly mention anyone, his comments subtly addressed producer Firoz Nadiadwala’s recent claim that his brother Sajid Nadiadwala helped mediate the situation. Dismissing that, Priyadarshan noted, “Akshay, Paresh and Suniel told me we all discussed and have decided to do the film, it has nothing to do with any other individual. Somebody is saying so and so is involved, but there’s nothing. To the best of my knowledge, the three actors decided to do the film and informed me.”
When asked about the timeline, he revealed, “I have just wrapped up work on my next Bhooth Bangla, and starting another film with Saif Ali Khan and Akshay. I think I will be doing Hera Pheri 3 next year.”
Paresh Rawal exit in May had stirred major controversy, with reports citing creative differences and financial disputes. It was even rumoured that Akshay Kumar, who is also co-producing the film, was planning to sue Rawal for Rs 25 crores for allegedly sabotaging the project.
In a new interview with Himanshu Mehta on his podcast, Paresh Rawal confirmed the news himself. He said laughingly, “Pehle bhi aane hi waali thi (Earlier too the film was scheduled to release), but it’s just that we had to fine-tune ourselves (laughs). After all, all of them are creative, be it Priyadarshan, Akshay or Suniel. They are friends for many, many, many years.”
Earlier, there were reports that the reason for leaving the film was creative differences, but Paresh Rawal denied it. He said that he was not interested in the character at that time. A Bollywood Hungama report also claimed that Akshay Kumar, who is also the co-producer of the film, had filed a case against Paresh Rawal and he had to return the advance amount with interest.
Akshay, Paresh and Suniel played the role of Raju, Babu Rao and Shyam respectively in the Hera Pheri 3 franchise.
Also Read: ‘Fine-Tuning Ho Gayi Hai’: Suniel Shetty On Paresh Rawal’s Return As Baburao In Hera Pheri 3
