Fans mourn Baburao’s exit from Hera Pheri 3, but Paresh Rawal has always been much more — from Tamanna to Mumbai Meri Jaan

Paresh Rawal’s exit from Hera Pheri 3 has left fans deeply disheartened. For an entire generation that grew up laughing at the iconic antics of Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, Shyam (Suniel Shetty), and Raju (Akshay Kumar) during countless television reruns, it feels like that nostalgic comfort may never return for a third round.

Paresh’s Baburao became a cultural phenomenon. His mannerisms, unforgettable one-liners, and innocent wit turned him into a permanent fixture in meme culture and everyday conversation. It remains one of the actor’s most beloved roles. But ironically, the very popularity of his comic characters often led to him being typecast in the genre.

To think of Paresh Rawal solely as a comedy actor is to do a disservice to his incredible range. “I feel the comic period in my career has harmed the actor in me,” the actor said in an old interview with Subhash K Jha. Beyond slapstick and satire, he has delivered performances that are powerful, emotionally complex, and socially relevant. Unfortunately, many of these roles have not received the recognition they deserve, often fading from the audience’s short-lived memory.

On his birthday, it’s time to shift the spotlight — to the meaningful and underrated performances that truly showcase his versatility.

Dacait (1987)

Paresh Rawal was in his fourth year in the film industry when Rahul Rawail’s Dacait released in theatres. The film featured Paresh in the negative role of a corrupt inspector in Chambal, who commits brutalities on the villagers. The actor’s menacing presence in the film brought him into the spotlight.

It is also interesting to note that while many actors come to mainstream cinema after making a mark in parallel cinema, Paresh had the opposite journey. In an old interaction, the actor admitted that while he wanted to work with Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal, and Kumar Shahani — stalwarts of Indian parallel cinema — he didn’t get a chance to work with them and eventually had to take the route of commercial cinema.

He had said, “It’s very strange, but at the beginning of my career, I struggled to get into art films… I didn’t get any roles in films by Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal and Kumar Shahane. Then I went into commercial cinema and became successful when in 1984 Karim Morani saw a play and recommended me to Rahul Rawail. That’s how I got Dacait.”

Tamanna (1997)

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Ashutosh Rana, Vijay Raaz, Akshay Kumar — many have played the role of a eunuch in their careers, but Paresh Rawal played the pathbreaking character much earlier in the 1997 film Tamanna. To top that, Paresh played the lead role of Tikku Ali Sayyed in the Mahesh Bhatt directorial, a eunuch who adopts an abandoned girl child (Pooja Bhatt). Tamanna was based on the real-life story of a eunuch, Tiku, who had rescued an abandoned girl child.

Paresh recalled that to get into the skin of the character, he spent time with Tiku to grasp the softness of his personality and reflect it in his performance. “I told Mahesh Bhatt only I will do this role,” Paresh told Lallantop.

Sardar (1993)

Apart from comedy, Paresh Rawal was inundated with negative roles. While some of them were nuanced, most again stereotyped him. But while he was being offered a slew of villainous roles, he was approached for Sardar (biographical drama film on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) by Ketan Mehta, who was even called ‘crazy’ for considering Paresh for the part. “When I was doing villain roles, Ketan Mehta came along and offered me Sardar Patel. People thought he was crazy but Ketan was convinced,” he had said.

Many actors have played Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on screen — the most recent being Rajendra Chawla in the Sony LIV series Freedom at Midnight — but very few have come close to Paresh Rawal’s hyper-realistic portrayal of the statesman.

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Also read | Paresh Rawal opens up on Akshay Kumar’s lawsuit for exiting Hera Pheri 3: ‘My lawyer has sent an appropriate response, all issues will be laid to rest’

Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008)

In this post-2006 Mumbai train bombings drama, Paresh Rawal played a retiring constable, worn down by years in the police force. The film featured powerhouse performers like Kay Kay Menon, R. Madhavan, and Irrfan in key roles. Despite limited screen time, Paresh left a lasting impression with his character’s dry humour and palpable moral exhaustion. The highlight of his performance was a poignant 7-minute monologue, where he reflects on how people — especially police officers who confront crime up close — carry the invisible weight of grief and horror long after witnessing a terrorist attack in their city.

Sir (1993)

Mahesh Bhatt recognised Paresh Rawal’s true potential and looked beyond the mold he was being typecast into. In Sir, Mahesh cast him as a gangster whose daughter is undergoing treatment for a speech impediment by her teacher, played by Naseeruddin Shah. Though it was technically another negative role, Paresh’s menacing yet emotionally layered portrayal earned him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.

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