Paresh Rawal shocked everyone with his sudden decision to exit Priyadarshan’s Hera Pheri 3. Now, in an interview with India Today, Suniel Shetty also expressed shock at Paresh’s decision and revealed that even Akshay Kumar is clueless about it.
When asked about Paresh’s decision to quit Hera Pheri 3, Suniel said he was clueless about it and added, “This is absolutely shocking. I first thought about texting him, and then I thought I’d meet him and would discuss it. I have had no word about it with anybody. Even Akshay is clueless as to what happened.”
He further admitted, “This is a crisis. We are in the middle of this film, and this is the biggest shock. We were going to begin shooting next year. We had already started, in fact. We shot a promo. It’s a big thing. This is so shocking. I can’t make sense of this. And you know who sent it? Athiya and Ahaan – they both sent it to me within 15 minutes, asking ‘papa what is this?’. And I was here doing my interviews, and I felt like ‘holy s***’.”
After Paresh confirmed quitting Hera Pheri 3, there was speculation that he stepped away due to creative differences with the makers, and some even speculated that he left the film due to remuneration issues. However, in an interview with Mid-Day, the actor refuted any such rumours and revealed, “I know it came as a shock to many. We three make a great combination with Priyadarshanji directing us, but the fact is that I opted out because today I don’t feel like a part of it.”
The Hera Pheri franchise started with Priyadarshan’s Hera Pheri in 2000 and introduced the iconic trio of Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty to Bollywood. The audience’s love for the slapstick comedy, one-liners and the characters of the film made it a cult classic.