Pankaj Tripathi doesn’t think he is the ‘right person’ to replace Paresh Rawal in Hera Pheri 3: ‘I am nothing in front of him’

Paresh Rawal confirmed his exit from Hera Pheri 3, and stated that while he cannot predict the future, he is definitely not part of the project at this point.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: May 22, 2025 03:25 PM IST

3 min read

Pankaj Tripathi responds to Paresh Rawal's exit from Hera Pheri 3.

The drama around Hera Pheri 3 is one that just keeps on giving, and since Paresh Rawal’s spectacular exit from the project, more chaos has ensued. Fans are now appealing to the makers of the film to cast Pankaj Tripathi in the place of Rawal, and in a recent interview, the actor reacted to these comments and gave his two cents.

Pankaj told Bollywood Hungama that replacing someone like Paresh was out of the question and said, “I read and heard about fans wanting me to play that part. I don’t think I can do it. Paresh Sir is an extraordinary actor, and I am nothing in front of him. I respect him immensely, and I don’t think I am the right person for the job.”

Tripathi, who will be reprising his role of lawyer Madhav Mishra in the upcoming season of Criminal Justice, has done impressive comedic roles throughout his career in movies like Fukrey (2013), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), and Stree (2018). While on paper he might be the right catalyst for the job, replacing a character as iconic as Baburao is a difficult task. Rawal, who originally played Baburao in both Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri, stated that he did not feel like doing the role at this point in his career, and even though many reports suggested that he left the project due to creative differences with the director, the actor made it clear that this was not the reason.

ALSO READ: Hera Pheri 3 can do without Akshay Kumar but not Paresh Rawal, says Suniel Shetty: ‘100 per cent cannot happen’

While Akshay Kumar went on the offensive and sued Rawal for exiting the project mid-development, Suniel Shetty wasn’t even aware that something like this had happened. He admitted that he got informed of Rawal’s exit by his children, who saw the news blowing up on social media. In an interview with E24, Shetty revealed that he will be meeting with Rawal to discuss his untimely exit and added that this entire episode was very out of the blue for him.

Sunil said, “I am as shocked as you are. I spoke to him for only a second, and he asked to meet. We haven’t been able to meet and talk yet. We have shot the trailer, so I don’t know what happened. Otherwise, Paresh ji is not like this. He wouldn’t have announced it on a public platform. I, Paresh ji and Akshay are united when it comes to Hera Pheri. He was quite charged,” added the Nadaaniyan actor.

He admitted that he was planning only to do sequels of iconic films like Hera Pheri, Awara Pagal Deewaana, and Welcome for a while, unless something like Kesari Veer came along. Even so, the actor called Rawal’s exit and the aftermath “heartbreaking”.

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