'Kartik Aaryan sign ho chuka tha': Paresh Rawal reveals OG story of Hera Pheri 3, says 'Akshay Kumar uss film mein...'

Fans of the Hera Pheri franchise were highly disappointed when they learnt that the much-awaited, much-delayed sequel, Hera Pheri 3 will go on floors not with Akshay Kumar, but with Kartik Aaryan. However, the makers went to the drawing board again, and they changed the script accordingly, brought Priyadarshan as the director, and also brought Raju aka Akshay Kumar back. 

Recently Paresh Rawal joined a podcast, and there he revealed the now-scrapped storyline, confirming Kartik's presence, and also Akki's surprise entry into the film. While speaking to Siddharth Kannan's podcast, Paresh said, "Mujhe jitna pata hai. Woh sign ho chuka tha. Kahani alag thi tabhi. Isko Raju (Akshay) samaj ke pakad ke le ke aate hai. Yeh alag kirdaar tha. Poori kahani toh maine bhi nahi suni (As much as I know, he had already signed. The story was different then. He comes with the grip of Raju (Akshay) society. He was a different character. I did not hear the full story either)." 

karthik aryan is a good actor but not for "Hera Pheri" because it's not just a film but an emotion for us and you can't play with our emotions.#AkshayKumar pic.twitter.com/qtBLqKgUfs

—  (@Swetaakkian) February 22, 2025

When the interviewer asked if Akshay was supposed to star, Paresh said, "Akshay aane wala tha...aisa kuch tha ("Akshay was going to come... something like that)." Kannan tried to confirm if Akshay was tentative part of the film, and Paresh said, "Shayad kya, woh toh aate hi aate." Later, Paresh revealed that Kartik is no longer part of the film, and now the script has also changed, Priyan sir aa chuke hai." 

Priyadarshan confirms directing Hera Pheri 3

On January 30, Priyadarshan confirmed returning to the Hera Pheri franchise. On his 68th birthday, the director confirmed directing the much-delayed, much-awaited film, Hera Pheri 3 with the OG cast- Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Suniel Shetty. 

Priyadarshan, who was shooting Bhoot Bungla with Akki, dropped the major announcement with his reply. He wrote, "Thank you so much for your wishes, Akshay (Kumar). In return I would like to give you a gift, I’m willing to do Hera Pheri 3, Are you ready @akshaykumar, @SunielVShetty and @SirPareshRawal?" 

Akshay echoed what fans of Hera Pheri would say to this news. He shared a GIF of his Welcome scene "Miracle Miracle", and further wrote, "Sir!!! Your birthday and I got the best gift of my life. Chalo karte hain phir thodi hera pheri. @SirPareshRawal, @SunielVShetty, @priyadarshandir."