Paresh Rawal admits Kartik Aaryan was dropped from Hera Pheri 3, criticises Phir Hera Pheri: ‘People will laugh if somebody is running naked…’

Talking about the untapped potential of his character Baburao, he 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. 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?”

There was much speculation that, like the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise, Kartik Aaryan might replace Akshay Kumar in the Hera Pheri series. However, during the interaction, Paresh dismissed these claims. He revealed that Kartik was indeed cast in Hera Pheri 3 but not as Akshay’s famous character, Raju. Instead, he was set to play a different role, while Akshay was also supposed to star in the film. Later, the story changed, filmmaker Priyadarshan—who directed the first Hera Pheri—came on board, and Kartik was dropped from the movie.

Explaining what unfolded with Hera Pheri 3’s casting, Paresh Rawal said, “Kartik was signed for the film. At that time, the story of the film was different. Isko Raju samajh ke pakad ke leke aaye thay, par ye alag hi kirdar tha (They cast him thinking he would play Raju, but his character was completely different). This is how much I know. Kartik wasn’t cast in Raju’s role. Akshay was supposed to star in the film. Akshay would have definitely been a part of that film.”

Confirming that Kartik is no longer part of Hera Pheri 3, he added, “Kartik isn’t part of the film now. The film’s story has been changed.” Paresh also confirmed that now the movie will retain the original cast of Hera Pheri and its shooting will begin in August-September.