Paresh Rawal's Hera Pheri 3 casting drama takes a fresh new twist

The Hera Pheri 3 chaos is officially messier and murkier than Raju’s (Akshay Kumar's iconic comic role) bank account. What started as a casting shocker has spiraled into a full-blown soap opera, with Paresh Rawal’s exit showing zero signs of fading from the public meltdown cycle.

Yes, last month, Bollywood movie-mad fans everywhere had their hearts collectively broken when news dropped that Babu Bhaiya — a.k.a. the irreplaceable Paresh Rawal — was out of the franchise.

And now? People are calling it a stunt. A plot twist. A betrayal of comic proportions. Pick your poison.

Adding fuel to the fan-fueled fire, YouTuber and comedian Ashish Chanchlani threw his hat (and heart) into the ring, tweeting an emotional plea:

“Paresh sir, I am sure you must be feeling burnt out by Babu Bhaiya... But we all genuinely request you to come back. You are truly the soul of this franchise.”

Ashish wasn’t the only one sobbing in 280 characters or less. After one fan begged Paresh on X (formerly Twitter) to “please think once again,” the actor coolly clapped back:

“NO… There are Three Heroes in Hera Pheri,”referring to himself, Akshay Kumar, and Suniel Shetty — in case anyone forgot how iconic the trio truly is.

Meanwhile, backstage tensions seem to be playing out in legalese. Buzz has it that Akshay Kumar (who’s also producing the film) is planning to sue Rawal for breach of trust. Paresh, never one to back down, posted:

“My lawyer, Ameet Naik, has sent an appropriate response regarding my rightful termination and exit... all issues will be laid to rest.”

But rest? Not in this economy — or fan timeline. Social media is convinced the drama is just Act One, with many calling it a marketing gimmick or calculated PR circus.

Whatever it is, let’s not pretend — Hera Pheri without Paresh Rawal is like chai without sugar. Possible? Sure. Desirable? Absolutely not.

So until this casting saga is resolved, we’ll be here… refreshing X, quoting Babu Bhaiya, and wondering how this franchise plans to move on without its star soul.