Recently, Akshay Kumar announced that he is stepping away from Hera Pheri 3 over creative differences. After that, reports came in that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 star Kartik Aaryan will be replacing him. Now Suniel Shetty, Akshay’s co-star from the Hera Pheri franchise has said he was ‘stunned’ by the development and would speak to the makers to see if there was any way the actor could come back.

Speaking at the Hindustan Times leadership Summit recently, Akshay confirmed that he will not be appearing in Hera Pheri 3 because he “was not satisfied with the script.” “The film was offered to me but I was not satisfied with the script. I have to do what people want to see. That is why I backed out. I took a step behind. It is a part of my life and journey for me. I am also very sad that I can't do it. But I am not happy with how the creative things have shaped out,” he said.

Responding to the development, Suniel Shetty told Mid-Day, “Everything was on track, but I don’t know what happened suddenly [that] Akshay is not a part of it anymore. Once I am [done with] Dharavi Bank promotions, I will sit with Firoz [Nadiadwala, producer] and understand why and how this happened. Akshay, Paresh and I had committed to the movie, and this twist has stunned me.”

“Hera Pheri 3 cannot be the same without Akshay. Raju, Babu bhaiyya and Shyam are iconic characters whose journeys have been together. There’s palpable excitement when you mention the film. I want to see if things can still fall in place,” he added.

Akshay was last seen in Ram Setu while Suniel is gearing up for his upcoming series Dharavi Bank with Vivek Oberoi.