The beloved trio of Raju, Shyam, and Baburao Ganpatrao Apte—fondly known as Babu Bhaiya—have been a staple of Bollywood comedy since Hera Pheri first hit screens. However, Paresh Rawal, who brought the iconic character of Babu Bhaiya to life, recently confirmed that he will not be a part of Hera Pheri 3. His exit left fans disappointed, but it wasn’t just the audience feeling the impact—actor Suniel Shetty, who played the composed and sensible Shyam, was also deeply affected by the news.
In a conversation with ANI, Shetty expressed his disbelief and heartbreak over Rawal’s decision. “It’s an absolute shock to me. I only heard about it yesterday, and today there’s even more discussion around it. I need to call and find out more, but honestly, I’m completely heartbroken. If there was one film I was truly looking forward to, it was Hera Pheri,” Shetty shared.
Shetty further emphasized that he believes a third installment cannot be made without Rawal reprising his role as Babu Bhaiya. “It cannot happen—100% cannot happen without Paresh Rawal. If Akshay and I weren’t in it, maybe there would still be a tiny chance. But without Paresh Ji? No way. Without Babu hammering Raju and Shyam, it just doesn’t work,” he asserted.
Rawal himself took to X (formerly Twitter) last week to clarify that his exit wasn’t due to creative disagreements. “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. “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.”
The Hera Pheri franchise first took shape in 2000 under director Priyadarshan, featuring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, and Tabu. The sequel, Phir Hera Pheri, was helmed by the late Neeraj Vora in 2006, adding Bipasha Basu, Rajpal Yadav, and Rimi Sen to the cast. With Rawal’s departure, the future of Hera Pheri 3 now seems uncertain.
