Suniel Shetty felt like 'holy s**t' after Paresh Rawal's 'absolutely shocking' exit from Hera Pheri 3: 'Even Akshay Kumar is...'

Hera Pheri 3 is one of the most awaited films as it is the thid installment in the cult comedy franchise. But, the film has already seen its share of controversies, even before its official announcement. First, it was reported that Kartik Aaryan has replaced Akshay Kumar in the threequel. After a series of negotiations, Akshay was brought back in. Now, Paresh Rawal has shocked everyone by stepping away from Hera Pheri 3 through an announcement he made on Sunday on X (previously Twitter).

Now, Suniel Shetty has reacted to Paresh's exit from the much-awaited film and called it "absolutely shocking." Talking to India Today, he said, "I have no clue about this. This is absolutely shocking. I first thought about texting him, and then I thought I'd meet him and would discuss it. I have had no word about it with anybody. Even Akshay is clueless as to what happened. This is a crisis. We are in the middle of this film, and this is the biggest shock."

The Border actor added that it was his children, Athiya Shetty and Ahan Shetty who broke the news to him. "We were going to begin shooting next year. We had already started, in fact. We shot a promo. It's a big thing. This is so shocking. I can't make sense of this. And you know who sent it? Athiya and Ahaan - they both sent it to me within 15 minutes, asking 'papa what is this?'. And I was here doing my interviews, and I felt like 'Holy s***.' You know, this film is important for our mental health. I don't know what's going to happen", Suniel concluded.

On Tuesday itself, it was reported that Akshay Kumar, through his production house Cape of Good Films, has sent a legal notice to Paresh Rawal claiming Rs 25 crore for leaving the film after signing a legal contract and starting its shoot.  A source was quoted telling Hindustan Times, "Paresh displayed a blatant disregard for professional integrity or commercial morality. If he wanted to not do the film, he should have said so before signing the legal contract, accepting the signing amount and making the producer spend so much money on the shoot. It is high time Bollywood actors realise that like Hollywood, producers here too will no longer give in to the whims of an actor walking in and out of a film as he pleases."

Talking about the first two movies, Hera Pheri was released in 2000 and directed by Priyadarshan. It was the remake of the 1989 Malayalam comedy thriller Ramji Rao Speaking. The follow-up film, Phir Hera Pheri, was released in 2006 and was directed by Neeraj Vora. It was the remake of the 1998 English black comedy crime film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Hera Pheri 3 will be directed by Priyadarshan.

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