Kartik Aaryan won't play Akshay Kumar's character 'Raju' in 'Hera pheri 3', reveals Suniel

Kartik Aaryan will not be playing Akshay Kumar's character Raju in the third instalment of Hera Pheri, franchise veteran Suniel Shetty confirmed recently.

Kartik, who has joined the cast of Hera Pheri 3 alongside Shetty and Paresh Rawal, has a 'new and different character' written by the makers. Suniel said that Akshay can't be replaced, adding that his absence will always be felt while filming. For the unversed, Akshay Kumar recently confirmed at an event that he was out of Hera Pheri 3 as he was not happy with the script.

Kartik Aaryan won't play Akshay Kumar's 'Raju' in Hera pheri 3

In a conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Suniel reacted to the hope of getting the original cast back, mentioning, "That would be the best thing to happen. There are speculations that Kartik replaced Akshay. See, Akshay cannot be replaced. The makers are in talks with Kartik for a completely different character. So, there’s no argument.”

He agreed that filming the third instalment without Akshay would be a different experience. "That void will always be there. What finally happens is something that needs to be seen. I am not aware because I am genuinely busy with Dharavi Bank. I have had no time to sit down and work on all this. After November 19, I’ll sit down and understand and talk to Akki and others and see what happened," Shetty stated. 

Kartik Aaryan's association with Hera Pheri 3 was revealed by Paresh Rawal recently while responding to a fan's query on social media. A fan tagged Paresh Rawal on Twitter and asked, "Sir is it true that Kartik Aaryan is doing Hera Pheri 3 ??" Reacting to this, the actor wrote, "Yes it’s true."

Yes it’s true . https://t.co/JtdI4Yp2nb

— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal)

The comedy-drama film, which was released in 2000, starred Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal in lead roles. It was followed by a sequel in 2006, which also emerged as a blockbuster. 

On the work front, Kartik will be seen in Freddy, which is set to release on December 2. He also has films like Shehzada, Satyaprem Ki Katha, Aashiqui 3, and Captain India in the pipeline. 

(IMAGE: INSTAGRAM/ @KARTIKAARYAN/ TWITTER/ @KHALILA65953439)