Actor Paresh Rawal has confirmed that Kartik Aaryan was initially roped in for Hera Pheri 3 but later dropped due to a change in the storyline. In an interview with Siddharth Kanan, Rawal said that while the actor was initially signed, his character was never meant to replace Akshay Kumar’s iconic Raju.
“At that time, the story was different. Isko Raju samajh ke pakad ke leke aaye thay, par ye alag hi kirdar tha. This is what I know because even I didn't hear the whole story,” Rawal said.
Hera Pheri narrates the story of two tenants — Raju (Akshay Kumar) and Shyam (Suniel Shetty) — and their landlord Baburao (Paresh Rawal) in desperate need of money. When the trio chance upon a ransom call via a cross connection on their landline phone, they hatch a plan to claim the ransom for themselves. Phir Hera Pheri, a sequel to the film written and directed by Neeraj Vora, released in 2006.
Rawal also expressed disappointment with Phir Hera Pheri, criticising the film for deviating from the simplicity that made its predecessor a cult hit. “Not me but everyone else became overconfident about themselves. Then the film lost its innocence,” he said.
“I would tell Neeraj (Vohra), tu bhar raha hai iss mein, woh zaroori nahi hai yaar. I asked him to keep the same simplicity that the first part had. Zayada bharega toh mamla bigadega hi. Log toh har baat par hassenge. They’ll laugh even if they see someone running naked but we don’t have to run naked. You should have a sense of proportion,” the Sardar actor further said.
“I only welcome Lage Raho Munna Bhai, the sequel to Munna Bhai MBBS. That’s a quantum leap. I salute you if you make a sequel like that. But if you’re making a sequel just to mint money, that isn’t fun,” the veteran actor added.
Highlighting the lasting appeal of his character Baburao, Rawal said, “You have a character like Baburao, which has a goodwill of Rs 500 crore. You put that character in another backdrop. If you only change the jokes, what’s the meaning of that?”.
In January, Priyadarshan expressed his willingness to direct the third part of the comedy franchise, provided the original cast members — Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal — reprise their roles from the 2000 original.
On the work front, Paresh Rawal is set to reunite with Akshay Kumar and Tabu in Priyadarshan’s upcoming horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, slated for release on April 2, 2026. He will also appear in Welcome To The Jungle, a multi-starrer featuring Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon and Jacqueline Fernandez.