Phir Hera Pheri starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal 'lost its innocence' says the latter: 'Woh film nahi bani...'

Paresh Raval revealed that he didn’t think Phir Hera Pheri, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty, lived up to the expectations of its first installment, Hera Pheri.

By Loveleen Kaur

Updated on Feb 23, 2025 | 07:51 PM IST | 17.3K

Pic Courtesy: Pinkvilla and Phir Hera Pheri IMDb

Paresh Rawal, who played the iconic character Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in the Hera Pheri series, recently shared his thoughts on the sequel Phir Hera Pheri and its upcoming third installment, Hera Pheri 3. The second part featured the original cast of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh reprising their roles. While it was a box-office hit, the actor revealed that he didn’t think Phir Hera Pheri lived up to the expectations of its predecessor.

Speaking in a candid interview with Siddharth Kannan, Paresh Rawal said, “Everybody was overconfident about the film. It lost its innocence. Sorry to say, but woh film nahi bani thi bara bar (the film wasn’t that good)."

According to him, overstuffing the sequences made the film lose its simplicity. The first part of the film was special. The actor also explained that keeping the film simple and in proportion is key and added that people will laugh at anything; they will laugh if somebody is running n*ked, but they don’t have to run n*ked to make people laugh.

When asked about his character Baburao, Paresh Rawal said he feels there was a lot more that could have been done with the role.

He compared the Hera Pheri sequel to Lage Raho Munna Bhai, a film he admires for its successful treatment of a beloved character. “I only welcome Lage Raho Munna Bhai, the sequel to Munna Bhai MBBS. That’s a quantum leap. I salute you if you make a sequel like that,” he said.

The OMG actor added that a sequel should be about more than just making money or changing the jokes; it should be about properly evolving the character.

In more recent developments, Paresh confirmed that Kartik Aaryan will no longer be part of Hera Pheri 3. Confirming the rumor, he said the film’s story has been changed, and the movie will now feature the original cast of Hera Pheri. Talking about the release of the third installment, Paresh shared that the shooting for the much-awaited installment is expected to begin in August or September.

Fans of the Hera Pheri franchise can now look forward to the return of the beloved characters, with the original cast once again taking the spotlight.