A few weeks after Paresh Rawal announced he was stepping away from Hera Pheri 3, he’s now confirmed that he’s officially back in the movie. In a podcast, Paresh talked about the film, cleared up any rumors, and had kind words for his co-stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and director Priyadarshan.
When asked about the supposed controversy, Paresh said there really wasn’t one. “There’s no controversy,” he said. “When people love something so much, you’ve got to be extra careful. We owe it to the audience to give our best, they’ve shown us so much love, we can’t take that lightly. We just have to work hard and deliver.”
He added that everyone was always meant to be part of the film, and any delay was just about making sure everything felt right. “It was always in the works,” he said with a laugh. “We just needed to fine-tune things. All of them — Priyadarshan, Akshay, Suniel — they’re all creative and have been friends for years.”
Fans have adored the original Hera Pheri trio , Akshay’s Raju, Suniel’s Shyam, and Paresh’s unforgettable Babu Bhaiya — for over 20 years. So when news broke that Paresh had quit the third film, it came as a shock. At one point, Akshay Kumar (who’s also producing the film) reportedly sued Paresh after he left the project. According to sources, Paresh even returned his signing fee with added interest.
Paresh made Babu Bhaiya a household name with the first two films, Hera Pheri in 2000 and Phir Hera Pheri in 2006. The first was directed by Priyadarshan, who’s also on board for the third one. While the original film featured stars like Tabu, Om Puri, and Gulshan Grover, the sequel added new faces like Bipasha Basu, Rimi Sen, and Johnny Lever.
