Paresh Rawal opens up about Kartik Aaryan’s casting in Hera Pheri 3; reveals why he is NOT a part anymore

Paresh Rawal, celebrated for his legendary role as Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in the Hera Pheri franchise, recently shared his thoughts on Phir Hera Pheri and the eagerly awaited Hera Pheri 3. While the second instalment featured the iconic trio of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh himself, the actor admitted that the sequel didn’t quite capture the magic of the original, despite its box-office success.

Baburao Ganpatrao aka Paresh Rawal talks about Kartik Aaryan’s casting

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Paresh confirmed that Kartik Aaryan was initially signed for the film. When asked if he was going to play Akshay Kumar’s character, Raju, Paresh clarified, “At that time, the story 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 what I know because even I didn’t hear the whole story.”

He further added that now Kartik is not a part of the project as the story has completely changed. “Not me but everyone else became overconfident about themselves. Then the film lost its innocence. Sorry to say but voh film nahi bani thi bara bar. I would tell Neeraj, tu bhar raha hai ismein, voh zarori nahi hai yaar (The film wasn’t made properly. you’re overstuffing this film with sequences, it’s not needed). I asked him to keep the same simplicity that the first part had. Zayada bharega toh mamla bigadega hi. Log toh har baat par hasenge ( It will get messy if you overstuff the film. People will laugh at everything). They’ll laugh even if they saw someone running naked but we don’t have to run naked. You should have sense of proportion.”

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He also attributed the disappointment to overstuffed sequences that compromised the simplicity that made the first Hera Pheri special. “Keeping it simple and balanced is key. People will laugh at anything, even if someone runs nked, but you don’t need to go to such extremes to entertain,” he added.

Paresh drew a comparison between the Hera Pheri sequel and Lage Raho Munna Bhai, a film he deeply admires for its thoughtful progression of beloved characters. He added, “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.”

Also Read: Paresh Rawal reacts to Akshay Kumar being criticised for doing over 5 films every year; says, “Smuggling, daru, drugs toh nahi karta hai”