Veteran actor Paresh Rawal recently attended the premiere of his film Pastt Tense at the Jagran Film Festival alongside Aditya Rawal, Ananth Mahadevan, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Sharib Hashmi.
What's Happening
Following the screening, the cast and crew participated in an interactive session with the audience, where Paresh spoke about his four-decade-long journey in the film industry, his memorable performances and the kind of roles he enjoyed playing.
During the conversation, the actor was asked about portraying antagonists in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in scenes where his characters would laugh while assaulting female characters.
Responding to the question, Paresh said, "Yes, yes. I have done plenty of such roles. Those roles were so idiotic and ridiculous that we had to make it amusing. Warna aapko bhi maza nahin aata aur dekhne waale ko bhi mazaa nahin aata (Otherwise, you wouldn't have enjoyed the scenes, and neither the audience would have enjoyed them)."
Paresh Rawal Says Only 11 Of His 250 Films Are Good
Having completed 40 years in cinema, Paresh was also asked whether he had ever counted the number of films he had worked in. The actor laughed before responding, "No. Jo acchi films hain, woh mujhe pata hain kitni hain (I only remember the good films)."
Although the Oh My God actor has appeared in more than 250 films, he revealed that he considers only 11 of them particularly good. The admission surprised those present at the event. His son and co-star Aditya Rawal then clarified, "Yes, we counted," following which Paresh spoke about some of the performances that remain special to him.
Recalling his experience of playing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the 1993 biographical drama Sardar, the actor said, "There was one role that I was very happy essaying. I put a lot of hard work into it, and that was Sardar (1993). I got a chance to do a biopic. It was very close to my heart. Another role, which was also sort of a biopic, was Tamanna (1997). But that film's second half went haywire. It was based on a real-life character, Tiku. Then came Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (2008). It's also close to my heart. In Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008), I got to essay a lovely character. The Storyteller (2025) mein bahut maza aaya, followed by Hera Pheri (2000), Dacait (1987), etc. I can't list all 11, but I can assure you there are 11 such films."
Paresh Rawal Picks Dacait As His Favourite Villainous Role
The discussion also turned to his performances as antagonists. When asked which villainous character gave him the most satisfaction as an actor, Paresh chose his role in Dacait.
Explaining what he looks for in a convincing antagonist, he said, "I would pick Dacait. Otherwise, villain ka role karne mein mazaa nahin aata tha (I wouldn't enjoy playing the antagonist's characters). Our writers could do better with villain roles. Aisa nahin lagna chahiye ki villain-villain hain (It shouldn't look like the villain is the villain). You should feel that I have seen this man at a bus stand or a taxi stand. That adds to the impact. Woh stupid tarah ke, get up aur daadhi-mooch laga ke aa jaate hain, woh bahut hi ghatiya tarah ke hote hain (They come in those stupid appearances with the moustache and beard. They are very shoddy). I detest those roles."
Towards the end of the interaction, members of the audience requested the actor to recreate a dialogue as Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, his much-loved character from Hera Pheri. However, Paresh turned down the request with a humorous response, saying, "Nahin, nahin. Uske liye ticket lena padega (No, no. For that you will have to purchase tickets)."
Paresh Rawal's Hera Pheri 3 Exit And Legal Dispute
Paresh Rawal's comments about Hera Pheri come amid the ongoing uncertainty surrounding its third instalment. The actor had previously announced his exit from Hera Pheri 3, following which Akshay Kumar, who is also producing the film, reportedly sent him a legal notice seeking Rs 25 crore in damages.
Paresh subsequently clarified that his decision was linked to contractual issues rather than any personal differences with Akshay Kumar. In July 2026, he described the legal notice as an "emotional reaction" and maintained that he was open to returning to the franchise whenever the film was made.
However, the third instalment continues to face uncertainty due to disputes concerning the franchise's rights. Priyadarshan, who was initially attached to direct the film, has also confirmed that he is no longer associated with the project.
