Paresh Rawal Gets A Hera Pheri Surprise

‘Hera Pheri cannot happen without Paresh Rawal.’

IMAGE: Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty in Hera Pheri.

Paresh Rawal got a surprise wish on his 70th birthday on May 30.

It was from his Hera Pheri co-star Suniel Shetty.

‘To the man who is a powerhouse of both Wit & Wisdom and an even more wonderful human being. Happy happy Pareshji. Much love and respect always,’ Suniel Shetty posted on X.

Paresh Rawal replied, ‘Anna thanks this means a lot.’

It would certainly ‘mean a lot’ since Paresh Rawal has landed himself in controversy with the Hera Pheri team ever since he walked out of the third installment after the shoot had started.

Akshay Kumar, who co-stars in the film and has bought the original rights, sued the senior actor for Rs 25 crore (Rs 250 million).

Paresh Rawal reportedly returned the signing amount of Rs 11 lakh (Rs 1.1 million) along with 15 percent interest.

Some reports pointed out to creative differences between Director Priyadarshan and Paresh Rawal but the latter clarified by stating there was no truth in it.

He posted on May 18: ‘I wish to put it on record that my decision to step away from Hera Pheri 3 was not due to creative differences. I reiterate that there are no creative disagreements with the filmmaker. I hold immense love, respect, and faith in Mr Priyadarshan the film director.’

But he did not specify his reasons for quitting the film.

Director Priyadarshan said he was ‘very, very hurt‘ by Rawal’s behaviour.

At the trailer launch of his upcoming film Housefull 5, Akshay addressed the matter and said this.

IMAGE: Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty. Photograph: Kind courtesy Suniel Shetty/X

Suniel expressed his shock over Rawal’s exit while speaking to ANI.

“I mean, it’s an absolute shock to me, and I’m here because I heard it yesterday, and then today, some more news came about. So I need to call and find out, and I’m completely heartbroken because if there was one film that I was looking forward to, it was Hera Pheri, you know,” he said.

Earlier, Suniel Shetty voiced everyone’s thoughts when he posted, ‘Hera Pheri cannot happen without Paresh Rawal. It’s an absolute shock to me and I am completely heartbroken. If there was one film I was looking forward to, it was Hera Pheri…

‘It 100% can’t happen without Paresh Rawal, it can 1% happen without me and Akshay… If Raju and Shyam are not hammered by Babu Bhaiya, it doesn’t work.’

Paresh Rawal’s Hera Pheri character Baburao Ganpatrao Apte is one of the most iconic characters of 21st century Bollywood movies.

The first film released in 2000, and spawned a part 2 in 2006. Both films did well at the box office.