Suniel Shetty on Kartik Aaryan replacing Akshay Kumar in Hera Pheri 3: 'He can't play Raju...'

The third installment of the Hera Pheri franchise is one of the most anticipated and eagerly awaited by fans. Their joys knew no bounds on getting to know that Hera Pheri 3 is in the works after about 16 years after the release of Phir Hera Pheri in 2006. The iconic trio of Raju (Akshay Kumar), Ghanshyam (Suniel Shetty), and Baburao Apte (Paresh Rawal) have made their place in the hearts of the fans and continue to tickle their funny bones, what with certain scenes and dialogues from the first two films in the franchise achieving the status of a cult classic over the years. 

While Paresh Rawal had earlier confirmed that Kartik Aaryan has been roped in for Hera Pheri 3, reports doing the rounds also suggested that the film will be made with a new cast and a new director. Hence the entry of Kartik Aaryan, who has already proved his mettle at carrying a franchise forward with Bhul Bhoolaiyaa 2, fuelled conversations about him replacing Akshay Kumar in Hera Pheri 3. 

Now, in a recent interview with The Telegraph India, Suniel Shetty dismissed the likelihood of Kartik replacing Akshay in the third installment of the hit franchise. While he welcomed the possibility of a new director taking the reins, he also expressed his reservations about the new cast. He said that he'd want the original three actors to carry it forward and said that the other members of the original cast (including Akshay and Paresh Rawal) would also want the same. 

Suniel also shared that having more actors on board is a brilliant idea as the industry needs more multi-starrer movies to do well commercially. He also added that Akshay Kumar is continuously talking to the makers as well. 

Also Read: Paresh Rawal confirms Kartik Aaryan for Hera Pheri 3 after Akshay Kumar pulls out 

Also Read: Hera Pheri 3 | Is Akshay Kumar back as Raju amid reports of getting replaced by Kartik Aaryan? 

Speaking about the addition of Kartik, Suniel told the publication, "Even if Kartik Aaryan is there, he would be completely a new character. He isn’t playing Raju. He can’t play Raju. Only Raju can play Raju! If someone tries to fill Akshay’s or my shoes, a section of the audience can feel we would have been better, but one can’t replace Paresh." He also added that each one of them has its own place and standing which is one of the reasons the Hera Pheri franchise has worked so well. 

Having said that, the actor is excited that the franchise is being taken forward with its third installment and shared that it'd be interesting to see if the financial condition of the three leading characters changes or remains the same. HE added that it's going to be a huge task to 'meet the massive expectations' of the audiences as, despite 14 years since Phir Hera Pheri, the fans feel as if it was just yesterday. 

On the work front, Suniel Shetty was recently seen in the web series titled Dharavi Bank with which the actor made his debut on OTT. The series is available to stream on MX Player.