Day by day, the ongoing Heri Pheri 3 controversy has been taking a new turn. Paresh Rawal’s abrupt exit opened a whole can of worms. After blasting interviews from the movie’s director Priyadarshan and Suniel Shetty, now an insider has dismissed the claims of the senior actor quitting the comedy caper mid-shoot and established that the shoot was scheduled for sometime next year.

if this whole paresh rawal - akshay kumar - hera pheri 3 turns out to be a marketing gimmick we should make sure that the film flops terribly pic.twitter.com/ptoc0tvAbV — Saharsh (@whysaharsh) May 23, 2025

Yes, you read that right! It was earlier reported that the actor had shot for approximately three and a half minutes of the film alongside Akshay Kumar and Shetty. Dismissing the claims, a source close to the actor has now revealed that Rawal hadn’t started shooting for the film. During an interaction with the news agency, IANS, they claimed that calling the senior actor “unprofessional” is unfair, as it is just a trick to malign his image.

Hera Pheri 3 Director Reveals Akshay Kumar Cried After Paresh Rawal’s Exit: ‘Could've Told Me Before Telling Media’

Quoted by New18, the source said, “Calling someone like Paresh Rawal, a stalwart with four decades of iconic work, ‘unprofessional’ is not just unfair, it’s laughable. Let’s be clear: the film hadn’t even started. There was a promo shoot, not a film schedule. The real shoot is planned for sometime next year. So, the idea that he ‘walked out’ is just the worst theatrical imagination at best.”

I wish to put it on record that my decision to step away from Hera Pheri 3 was not due to creative differences. I REITERATE THAT THERE ARE NO CREATIVE DISAGREEMENT WITH THE FILM MAKER . I hold immense love, respect, and faith in Mr. Priyadarshan the film director. — Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) May 18, 2025

“He exited long before the tent was even pitched, before the lights, camera, and chaos of the circus rolled into town,” the insider added. They went on to reveal that the 69-year-old actor has built his career “one role at a time,” not on headlines, but on honesty, discipline, and sheer craft. “He doesn’t need the noise, and certainly doesn’t thrive on it,” They concluded.

Hera Pheri 3: Akshay Kumar's Production House Claims Paresh Rawal Did Not Raise Any Concern, Accepted Rs 11 Lakh

After the actor stepped away from the film, Kumar’s production house, Cape of Good Films, sued him for Rs 25 crores, alleging unprofessional conduct and breach of contract related to Hera Pheri 3. The senior actor's abrupt departure has reportedly disrupted production and caused widespread disappointment.

We waited two decades for Hera Pheri 3.
You stayed for two weeks.@SirPareshRawal, ab sab kuch Pheri Pheri lag raha hai.pic.twitter.com/keM1phI0R3 — Anmesh (@AnmeshOberoi) May 23, 2025

For those who don’t know, the Hera Pheri franchise sees Akshay Kumar essay the role of Raju, Paresh Rawal as Baburao Ganpatrao Apte aka Babu Bhaiya and Suniel Shetty as Shyam. While Hera Pheri (2000) also starred Tabu and Gulshan Grover, the second installment of the film, Phir Hera Pheri (2006), co-starred Bipasha Basu, Rajpal Yadav and Rimi Sen in pivotal roles. The first installment was directed by Priyadarshan, whereas the second installment was directed by the late filmmaker Neeraj Vora. Priyadarshan returned to the franchise as a director for the third installment.