Akshay Kumar's Decision To Sue Paresh Rawal Over Hera Pheri 3 Exit Strictly Professional? Latter's 'We're Not Friends' Comment Resurfaces

The future of Hera Pheri 3 is uncertain after Paresh Rawal, who plays the role of Babu Bhaiya in the comedy franchise, decided to opt out of the third movie. Hera Pheri 3 was yet to be officially announced, but Paresh has confirmed his exit from the planned threequel after hinting multiple times that the movie will go on the floors later this year, with director Priyadarshan. Paresh is separately working with Akshay and Priyadarshan on Bhooth Bangla, which has wrapped up its shoot.

Also read: Hera Pheri 3 Will Be Shelved Without 'Baburao', Confirms Suniel Shetty

Paresh's sudden exit from Hera Pheri 3 has led to a spate of speculations over the reason behind this move. Akshay's production house, Cape Of Good Films, is also reportedly suing Paresh for ₹25 crore over his decision to quit the franchise. Meanwhile, an old interview of Paresh has gone viral on social media in which he said that Akshay is not his "friend" but a "colleague". The two actors have worked in many movies through the decades, starting from Dil Ki Baazi in the early 90s to their popular comedy movies in the 2000s like Hera Pheri, Welcome, Deewane Hue Paagal, Awara Paagal Deewana to OMG: Oh My God! in 2012 and Sarfira in 2024.

Also read: Paresh Rawal Finally Reveals Reason Behind His Exit From Hera Pheri 3

One would suppose that frequent collaborators would be friends, but Paresh, in an interview, when asked about his working relationship with Akshay, said, "He’s a cool guy. Akshay and I have worked in at least 15-20 movies together. He’s a great guy to be friends with. Film industry mein colleague hote hain, theatre mein dost hote hain, aur school mein jigar jaan dost hote hain. But film ke andar colleague hote hain.”

He added, “Mere dost jinko main with respect bol saku toh Om Puri sahab the, Naseer bhai hain, Johny Lever hain... Ye hain jinko main dost bol saku."

Later, when his comments on his bond with Akshay blew up, Paresh clarified, saying, "I simply said that he’s a colleague. When you say ‘friend’, it means those whom you meet 5-6 times a month and whom you talk to several times a week. Moreover, neither Akshay nor I are social. So, there’s no question of us bumping into any party. Hence, I called him a colleague. And this resulted in (speculations)."