Hera Pheri 3: Priyadarshan reveals Paresh Rawal apologised to him for leaving Akshay Kumar-Suniel Shetty starrer: 'I’ve done 26 films with you and...'

Paresh Rawal’s comeback to Hera Pheri 3 has delighted the fans of the franchise, as his sudden exit from the Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty starrer created controversy on social media.

His exit grabbed several eyeballs with speculations like creative differences to monetary issues. Akshay Kumar, one of the leads and co-producer, had decided to sue Rawal for Rs 25 crore for sabotaging the project.

Priyadarshan, who helmed the original Hera Pheri of 2000, will direct the third part. The filmmaker recently opened up about the surprising events, which brough Rawal back and shared that he apologised to him for his earlier exit.

“Both Akshay and Paresh called to say everything is sorted. I was in shock when Paresh said, ‘Sir, I’m doing the movie,’ Priyadarshan told Mid-Day. “I’ve never had anything but respect for you. I’ve done 26 films with you, and I’m sorry for leaving. There were some personal issues.’ He told me that he, Akshay, and Suniel met and cleared the air," he added.

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Speaking about how three characters Shyam (Suniel Shetty), Raju (Akshay Kumar) and Baburao (Paresh Rawal) are crucial, Priyadarshan shared,  “Whatever I do, I cannot surpass Hera Pheri. The second part was bad—it was a copy of a Hollywood film. But Hera Pheri can’t happen without all three. In fact, a diamond merchant once approached me on a flight and said, ‘Please bring back Paresh Rawal. We won’t watch it otherwise.

To the man... Who is a powerhouse of both Wit & Wisdom and an even more wonderful human being.

Happy happy birthday Pareshji. Much love and respect always. @SirPareshRawal pic.twitter.com/KRDP0kSCql

— Suniel Shetty (@SunielVShetty) May 30, 2025

During a podcast with Himanshu Mehta, Paresh confirmed his comeback and said, “The film was going to happen anyway; we just needed a bit of fine-tuning. After all, everyone involved—Priyadarshan, Akshay, Suniel—we’ve been friends for so many years. It was just a matter of realigning."