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'Hera Pheri 3': Paresh Rawal reacts to Akshay Kumar's Rs 25 crore legal notice; says 'he must have been emotionally disturbed'
ETimes | July 16, 2026 1:39 PM CST

Paresh Rawal ’s Babu Rao and Akshay Kumar ’s Raju in ‘Hera Pheri’ won millions of hearts and became a cultural phenomenon, long before the word ‘viral’ entered everyday vocabulary. Even the sequel was loved for their unmatched comic flair. Then why did Paresh Rawal refuse to be a part of ‘ Hera Pheri 3 ’? Why did Akshay Kumar’s production house send him a Rs 25 crore legal notice? According to Paresh Rawal, there was never any legal ground for the notice; it was rather an ‘emotional reaction’ by Akshay Kumar.

Paresh Rawal believes Akshay Kumar sending him a Rs 25 crore legal notice was his emotional reactionDuring an interaction with Vickey Lalwani, Paresh Rawal put speculations that he was not comfortable working with Akshay Kumar to rest. He clarified, “It is not at all a matter of not being comfortable with Akshay Kumar. This is some contractual obligation of those people. So if I do it, then I must have Firoz’s (Firoz Nadiadwala’s) approval, because he is the sole owner of the franchise.”

He shared that Firoz Nadiadwala holds the rights for ‘Hera Pheri,’ ‘Awara Paagal Deewana,’ and ‘Welcome.’ “They sent a legal notice. I said, no, I don’t want to get into this legal mess; I do not want to do this film, brother.”

Reacting to the legal notice he received from Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal said, “I believe that was his emotional reaction. Like, ‘how can Paresh say no to me?’ He must have been emotionally disturbed. That is why he sent it. I firmly believe that.”

However, later, Paresh Rawal confirmed that he will do ‘Hera Pheri 3.’ During the interaction, he made his stance clear that he will do the movie, irrespective of who the maker would be. “Whenever Hera Pheri happens, then I will do it. Whoever makes it, I will do it. I am married to the film.”


Did Akshay Kumar say sorry to Paresh Rawal to bury the hatchet?The ‘Sanju’ emphasised again that Akshay must have felt upset over him walking out on the movie, and reacted emotionally as there was no ground for any legal dispute. After the whole fiasco, Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal shot together, but didn’t speak much about the ‘Hera Pheri’ controversy.

When asked if Akshay Kumar also confessed his sentiments and said sorry to Paresh Rawal, the actor replied, “No! Sometimes, what happens is that there is no need to say it. That is how I understand it.”

“There is a gentlemanly way of solving things,” he added.

Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar were last seen in the horror comedy ‘Bhoot Bangla.’ The movie did decent business at the box office, and the duo’s comic timing once again impressed audiences.


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