Paresh Rawal Clarifies Kartik Aaryan’s Role in ‘Hera Pheri 3’
Written by Aniketh Kumar on March 1, 2025
Paresh Rawal has confirmed that Kartik Aaryan was initially brought on board for *Hera Pheri 3*, but his character was never intended to replace Akshay Kumar’s iconic role as Raju. In an interview with Siddharth Kanan, Rawal revealed that Kartik’s role was scrapped due to changes in the storyline.
“At that time, the story was different. He was brought in thinking of him as Raju, but his character was completely different,” Rawal explained.
*Hera Pheri* follows the story of three desperate men—Raju (Akshay Kumar), Shyam (Suniel Shetty), and their landlord Baburao (Paresh Rawal)—who stumble upon a ransom call and devise a scheme to claim the money for themselves. The 2006 sequel, *Phir Hera Pheri*, was directed by Neeraj Vora but, according to Rawal, lacked the simplicity of the original.
Rawal expressed his disappointment with *Phir Hera Pheri*, criticizing it for overcomplicating the humor. He emphasized that sequels should maintain the charm of the original, much like *Lage Raho Munna Bhai* did with *Munna Bhai MBBS*.
Highlighting Baburao’s lasting appeal, he stated, “This character has a goodwill of ₹500 crore. If you only change the jokes without evolving the story, what’s the point?”
Meanwhile, director Priyadarshan has shown interest in directing *Hera Pheri 3* but only if Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal reprise their roles.
On the work front, Paresh Rawal is set to star alongside Akshay Kumar and Tabu in Priyadarshan’s upcoming horror-comedy *Bhooth Bangla*, releasing on April 2, 2026. He will also be seen in *Welcome To The Jungle*, featuring Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, and Jacqueline Fernandez.
