Paresh Rawal
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Veteran actor Paresh Rawal has reaffirmed his decision to step away from Hera Pheri 3, despite fans urging him to reconsider. The 70-year-old responded to a post on X (formerly Twitter) where a fan pleaded, “Sir please think. Once again to join Hera Pheri movie. You are the hero of this movie.”

Rawal replied, “NO There are Three Heroes in Hera Pheri,” supposedly diverting credit to co-stars Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty and acknowledging the ensemble of the cult comedy franchise.

Rawal had previously announced in May that he would not be part of Hera Pheri 3, even after filming promotional content for the film. His decision reportedly had nothing to do with director Priyadarshan, who has been closely associated with the earlier films in the series.

Fans however, were visibly disappointed by the news, with many expressing concern over the future of the franchise without Rawal’s iconic character, Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, more popularly known as, “Babu Bhaiya”.

Akshay Kumar has reportedly filed a ₹25 crore lawsuit against Rawal related to production matters, although specific details remain under wraps. The case is currently pending in court.

Meanwhile, Suniel Shetty spoke to India Today and expressed his surprise at Rawal’s sudden exit. “Even Akshay is clueless as to what happened. This is a crisis. We are in the middle of this film, and this is the biggest shock,” he said.

Rawal had earlier described his attachment to the Baburao character as a creative burden. “Woh gale ka fanda hain… I wanted to get rid of that image,” he told The Lallantop, referring to his attempt to break away from typecasting after Phir Hera Pheri released in 2006.

As of now, there is no official confirmation on who will replace Paresh Rawal in Hera Pheri 3.