Akshay Kumar has finally spoken about Paresh Rawal’s controversial exit from Hera Pheri 3. At the trailer launch event for Housefull 5 on Tuesday, the actor addressed the issue head-on after a journalist brought up how some fans had called Rawal “foolish” for walking out of the film.
Kumar, choosing clarity over clickbait, corrected the reporter immediately. “Using this kind of words for my colleague, like ‘foolish’, I wouldn’t appreciate. That’s not right,” he said.
Akshay Kumar, who’s worked with Paresh Rawal for over 30 years, expressed his admiration for the veteran actor. “He’s a great actor. I really admire him. We are very good friends,” he said. But Kumar made it clear that this wasn’t the place to dig deeper. “It’s a serious matter. The court will handle it,” he added.
Behind the scenes, the fallout is far from funny.
Earlier this month, Akshay Kumar reportedly filed a ₹25 crore lawsuit against Paresh Rawal after his official exit from the film. Rawal had confirmed the news in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on May 18, sparking buzz and speculation across Bollywood.
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In an interview with Mid-Day, Rawal revealed he had informed both director Priyadarshan and co-star Suniel Shetty ahead of his departure. But their reaction was one of “shock,” he said.
Then came the legal defense.
On May 25, Rawal’s lawyer, Ameet Naik, issued a statement defending his client’s right to exit the project. According to the statement, the makers failed to deliver the promised story, screenplay, and contract draft. The statement also revealed that Rawal returned the ₹11 lakh signing amount with interest, cutting cleanly from the deal.
“The story was missing, the script never came, and the producer raised objections—so he left,” said the legal team in a statement to IANS, clarifying the actor’s contractual obligations.
In short: no script, no signature, no show.
Now, what was once a film update is turning into a courtroom saga. Fans are heartbroken. But Akshay Kumar’s diplomatic stance and deep respect for Rawal suggest there’s still room for closure—just not on the big screen.
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