Paresh Rawal has been embroiled in controversy after Akshay Kumar sued him for Rs 25 crore as he left Hera Pheri 3 shoot midway. Akshay’s production company Cape Of Good Films, reportedly, sent him a legal notice two days (May 20) after he confirmed his exit from the film through an X post (May 18). 

Meanwhile, an old interview of Paresh Rawal has been doing the rounds on social media where Paresh Rawal said his Hera Pheri character Baburao feels like a “gale ka phanda” (a tight noose) to him as he has been stuck with that image for years. In an interview with The Lallantop a few weeks ago, Paresh Rawal confessed that even he takes up the role of Baburao in the sequel, he doesn’t feel “happy” from within. 

When asked how many times he gets the compliment for his cult role of Baburao in Hera Pheri (2000) even after 25 years of its release, the film veteran shared a few anecdotes.

“I went to Vishal Bhardwaj [director] in 2007. In 2006, Hera Pheri 2 was released. I told him that I have a film. I want to get rid of this image. You are the person who can offer me a completely different role in the same getup,” revealed Mr Rawal.

When Vishal Bhardwaj asked him why he wanted to get rid of this image, the actor said, “Whoever comes to me, he has an image of Hera Pheri in mind. I am an actor. I don’t want to get stuck at one place.”

Then Paresh Rawal described the storyline of the film titled Dancer In The Dark where the protagonist wore a similar spectacle like Paresh Rawal wore in Hera Pheri, hinting at a possibility of a new character within the same trope. 

However, when Vishal Bhardwaj rejected his offer as he’s not inclined to make remakes, Paresh Rawal approached R Balki for an out-of-the-box character.

“I asked him to offer me a new character in the same getup. I felt happy but dum ghutta hai (I felt choked). I need mukti (liberation) from that role,” Paresh Rawal admitted.

Paresh Rawal also criticised the Bollywood trend of making sequels only to spin money. “For instance, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and Lage Raho Munna Bhai – the two films have different trajectories as they picked up different subjects with the same protagonists,” explained Paresh Rawal.

Referring to his Hera Pheri character, Paresh Rawal added, “It’s a 500 crore goodwill character. If a maker wants, he can upscale the character to a different height. But people have either mental bankruptcy or mental lethargy to take a plunge.”

Take a look at the video here:

Paresh Rawal shared a post on X, clarifying that he didn’t leave Hera Pheri 3 over creative differences or money issues. He claimed that he had informed director Priyadarshan and co-actors Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty about his decision of quitting the film. However, Priyadarshan and Suneil Shetty told in public that they were not informed.

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.