Mumbai: Even as fans are eagerly looking forward to the third instalment of the blockbuster comedy franchise ‘Hera Pheri’, Paresh Rawal has reportedly walked out of the film due to creativity-related differences.
“There were creative differences between the makers and Paresh Rawal. As a result, the actor decided to step down from the film,” a source told Bollywood Hungama.
When the actor was approached by the portal, he confirmed the development by saying, “Yes, it’s a fact.”
As soon as the news started doing the rounds, disheartened fans took to social media platforms to express their unhappiness.
One fan tweeted, “What? So all the fun has exited from Hera Pheri 3?”
Another person wrote, “No Paresh Rawal, no Hera Pheri 3.”
“It should not be made now… Let the cult remain a cult—don’t destroy the series just for money,” said one user.
One fan wrote, “If it’s true, Akshay sir will bring him back.”
Another said, “We can’t imagine Hera Pheri without him… Please bring him back.”
In an interview with Lallantop earlier, Paresh, talking about the impact of the character, Babu Rao on him, said, “Woh gale ka fanda hai. Main 2007 mein Vishal Bharadwaj ji ke paas gaya tha. 2006 mein part 2 release ho gayi thi. Maine kaha mere paas ek film hai, mujhe iski jo ek image hai na, usse chhutkara chahiye. Same getup ke andar alag kisam ka role. Woh aap kar ke de sakte hain mujhe. Jo bhi aata hai, uske andar Hera Pheri hai. Main actor hoon yaar, mujhe phasna nahi hai iss daldal mein (It’s like a noose. I went to Vishal Bharadwaj in 2007, after the sequel released in 2006. I told him I had a film and wanted to break free from that image—to play a different character in the same getup. Only he could do that. Everyone who approached me saw me through the Hera Pheri lens. I’m an actor, and I don’t want to be stuck in that rut).”
He added, “In 2022, I went to R. Balki. I asked him to give me something —nmaybe the same getup, but a different part. I feel suffocated. It does make me happy, yes, but there is a certain pull to it. I want to be free of that.”
Paresh will next be seen in ‘Bhooth Bangla’ alongside Tabu and Akshay Kumar.
Directed by Priyadarshan, the film is scheduled to be released in 2026.
