Veteran Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal has seemingly confirmed that he will be returning as Baburao in the third installment of the cult comedy franchise Hera Pheri 3, alongside Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty. In a recent interview, Paresh assured fans that "everything is fine now," just weeks after he had announced his exit from the film.
Following the interview, fans were thrilled by the news of his comeback in the much-awaited film. However, some social media users speculated that the back-and-forth was merely a 'PR stunt,' especially since Paresh did not disclose the reason behind his initial decision to step away from the project.
What Paresh Rawal said in the interview
During a conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Paresh said, "There is no controversy, really. When a project is so loved by audiences, you need to handle it with extra care. The public showered us with love, and that comes with responsibility. We must never take that for granted. We owe them our best work."
"I felt everyone should come together and give their all. That was the only concern. But everything is fine now. It was always going to happen. We just needed some fine-tuning. After all, everyone involved - Priyadarshan (director), Akshay, Suniel - are incredibly creative and long-time friends."
Why are netizens calling it a PR stunt?
Since Paresh did not reveal the exact reason why he walked away from Hera Pheri 3, netizens felt that he did it only for publicity.
A user on X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote, "The News of Paresh Rawal leaving #HeraPheri3 was just a PR Stunt by Akshay Kumar… 🥱🥱? Disaster Kumar of Bollywood also known as Canadaputra Akshay Kumar is doing this cheap tactics so that his film Hera Pheri 3 remains in Limelight… 😂😂😂"
"As expected, Paresh Rawal's exit from #HeraPhera3 was just a PR gimmick to grab attention and enthusiasm. Worked well," wrote another user.
"I bet All this Paresh Rawal drama is a PR stunt of #HeraPheri3," another comment read whereas a fourth user commented, "Akshay Kumar vs Paresh Rawal is 100% a PR stunt."
Fans defend the veteran actor
Soon after trolls criticised the actor, his fans came out in his support and said they don't feel it was a PR stunt.
"It wasn't just a PR stunt. No PR stunt goes to the extent of court and legal papers. There were actual legal notices issued. They just sorted it as proceedings in court would consume too much time and money. Firoz Nadiadwala agreed to pay a higher remuneration to Paresh Rawal," a fan wrote on X.
Hera Pheri 3 controversy
In May 2025, the actor had publicly stated that he had quit Hera Pheri 3. Fans of the actor, and especially his role of Baburao in the film, were left heartbroken, and urged him to return to the franchise.
The controversy further escalated when reports claimed that Akshay, who is also co-producing Hera Pheri 3, sued Rawal for Rs 25 crore in damages for abandoning the film midway. Later, a follow-up report stated that Rawal had returned the Rs 11 lakh signing amount along with an additional interest of 15 per cent as compensation for quitting the film.
