Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal in ‘Hera Pheri’.
| Photo Credit: IMDB

The OG trio of Hera Pheri‘ — Raju, Shyam, and Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, aka Babu Bhaiya — has been loved by fans across the globe for over two decades now. When Paresh Rawal, who played the iconic Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in the film, recently confirmed he would not be a part of Hera Pheri 3, fans weren’t the only ones heartbroken.

Rawal’s sudden exit from the popular franchise was also a big blow to actor Suniel Shetty, who played the calm and collected Shyam in the classic comedy. Suniel Shetty, while speaking to ANI, expressed his “shock” over Rawal’s exit. He said he was left “completely heartbroken” after hearing the news.

“I mean, it’s an absolute shock to me, and I’m here because I heard about it yesterday, and then today, I saw news stories confirming it. So, I need to call and find out. I’m completely heartbroken because if there was one film that I was looking forward to, it was Hera Pheri,” he said.

ALSO READ:Paresh Rawal exits ‘Hera Pheri 3’, confirms departure in statement

Suniel Shetty also said he felt a third instalment is tough without ‘Babu Bhaiya’. ”It cannot happen without Paresh Rawal. It can have a one per cent chance without me and Akshay, but it can’t happen at all without Paresh ji. Raju and Shyam, if they’re not hammered by Babu, it doesn’t work,” he added.

Last week, Rawal posted a note on X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that he won’t be part of the third installment and clarified that his exit wasn’t due to any creative disagreement. ”I wish to put it on record that my decision to step away from Hera Pheri 3 was not due to creative differences,” he wrote on X, adding, “I REITERATE THAT THERE ARE NO CREATIVE DISAGREEMENTS WITH THE FILMMAKER. I hold immense love, respect, and faith in Mr. Priyadarshan, the film’s director,” Rawal wrote on X.

Explaining the reason behind his move, Rawal told Mid-Day, “I know it came as a shock to many. We three make a great combination with Priyadarshanji directing us, but the fact is that I opted out because today I don’t feel like a part of it.”

Directed by Priyadarshan, Hera Pheri was released in 2000. It featured Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, and Tabu in the lead roles.  It was remade from the 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, directed by Siddique-Lal. The second part, which came out in 2006, was directed by the late Neeraj Vora. It featured Akshay, Paresh, Suniel, Bipasha Basu, Rajpal Yadav, and Rimi Sen in the lead roles.