Paresh Rawal's exit from the much-anticipated sequel Hera Pheri 3 has caused an uproar in the world of showbiz. Akshay Kumar's production house Cape Of Good Films sued Paresh Rawal for Rs 25 crore for damages on the production house. The legal statement also threatened that if the actor didn't pay the amount within seven days, civil and criminal actions would be initiated against him.
Meanwhile, Suniel Shetty, who had earlier expressed shock over Paresh Rawal's exit, revealed in a new interview that Paresh Rawal wanted to "discuss" his sudden exit from the film with him.
Suniel Shetty told E24, "Jitne shocked aap hain, main hoon. Main baat nahi kar paya. Meri Paresh ji se baat hui ek second ke liye. Lekin Paresh ji ne kahan ki mil ke baat karenge. Toh meri baat hi nahi hui hai (I am as shocked as you are. I spoke to him for only a second and he asked to meet. We haven't been able to meet and talk yet)."
The actor added, "Humne trailer shoot kiya hua hai. Toh pata nahi kya hua. Warna Paresh ji aise hain nahi. Kabhi bhi public platform pe announce nahi karte kyuki main, Paresh ji aur Akshay (Kumar) aise (united) hain when it comes to Hera Pheri. Bohot hi charged the (We have shot the trailer, so I don't know what happened. Otherwise, Paresh ji is not like this. He wouldn't have announced it on a public platform. Me, Paresh ji and Akshay are united when it comes to Hera Pheri. He was quite charged)."
Suniel Shetty also shared, "Kuch filmo ko le ke main bohot hi charged tha, Welcome, Awara Pagal Deewana, Hera Pheri. Maine yahi socha tha ki aur kuch nahi karoonga. Ek aad film aisi (Kesari Veer) aayegi toh karoonga, warna sequels karoonga. Lekin this is heartbreaking (I was very charged about films like Welcome, Awara Pagal Deewana and Hera Pheri. I thought I would only do sequels now, unless a film like Kesari Veer comes up. This is heartbreaking)."
Earlier, when Suniel Shetty came to know about Paresh Rawal's exit during a film promotion in Delhi, he told India Today, "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***', added Suniel Shetty.
Akshay, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal had begun shooting for the film under veteran director Priyadarshan in April this year. Akshay had bought the rights for Hera Pheri 3 from producer Feroz Nadiadwala and he's one of the producers of the film.
Hera Pheri 3 is the sequel to the 2000 hit film Hera Pheri. The second instalment was released in 2006. Hera Pheri 3 was announced in 2023. Earlier this year, Priyadarshan was confirmed as the director of the film.