Things are heated between Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar at the moment as the former has stepped out of Hera Pheri 3. The veteran actor had earlier refused to be part of OMG 2, the sequel to his 2012 comedy-drama which also starred Akshay, as he didn’t like the story. The film was produced by Akshay's production house, Cape of Good Films.
In an earlier interview with Bollywood Bubble, Paresh said, “I didn’t like the story (of OMG 2) so I didn’t want to be a part of it. I didn’t like the character of the sequel so I refused to take it up. If you are making a sequel, keep it like Munna Bhai MBBS.”
The role eventually went to Pankaj Tripathi. The film explored the taboo subject of masturbation and faced some problems with the censor board but it eventually went on to become one of the highest grossing films of the year.
Recently, Paresh took to X to confirm his exit from the third-part of Hera Pheri, sending shockwaves across the industry. He wrote in the post, “I wish to put it on record that my decision to step away from Hera Pheri 3 was not due to creative differences. I reiterate that there are no creative disagreements with the filmmaker. I hold immense love, respect, and faith in Mr. Priyadarshan the film director.”
At the trailer launch of Housefull 5, Akshay spoke of the matter and said that he respects Paresh. “I have known him for over thirty years. He is a great actor, and I admire him,” he said. Referring to the actor’s exit from the film, Akshay added, “Whatever the issue is, this is not the place where I am going to talk about it. It is a serious matter which the court will handle.”
Meanwhile, Akshay and Paresh will be seen together in another film by Priyadarshan, Bhooth Bangla, a horror-comedy which is set to be released in theatres on April 2, 2026.