Babu Bhaiya Bids Goodbye: The Tumultuous Fallout of Hera Pheri 3

For a generation of movie lovers, Hera Pheri isn’t just a film — it’s a cultural relic. The image of Paresh Rawal as the bespectacled, dhoti-clad Babu Bhaiya is etched in collective memory. So when news broke in mid-May that Rawal had officially stepped away from Hera Pheri 3, fans were jolted.

What followed was a domino of public statements, legal notices, and behind-the-scenes drama that has left the future of the beloved franchise hanging in uncertainty.Let’s rewind to how it all unraveled.The First Sign: Paresh Rawal's ExitOn 18th May 2025, Rawal took to X (formerly Twitter) with a statement that caught everyone off-guard. “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 FILM MAKER. I hold immense love, respect, and faith in Mr. Priyadarshan the film director.”At first, fans dismissed it as a promotional stunt, but as days passed, it became clear: Babu Bhaiya was really out.Legal Troubles BrewJust two days later, on 20th May, Pinkvilla reported that Akshay Kumar’s production house, Cape of Good Films, had issued a Rs 25 crore legal notice to Rawal. The claim? His sudden exit caused significant financial loss, with the company having already purchased rights from multiple stakeholders and cleared previous debts to revive the franchise.They mentioned in its report that Akshay’s production house Cape of Good Films had procured the rights of Hera Pheri 3 from multiple stakeholders, and even repaid all the debts existing on the film.

The amount splurged was in crores, as the intent was to get back Hera Pheri on the big screen after 20 years to the audience. Paresh's unprofessional behaviour has cost a bomb to the film. Hindi Film Industry has gone the Hollywood way, as the producers are no longer kowtowing to the demands of actors. In the modern world, contracts are in place to avoid situations like this, and actors backing out at the last minute spells danger.”

Priyadarshan Speaks Up

In an interesting twist, director Priyadarshan, the man behind the original classic, spoke to Bollywood Hungama on 21st May, revealing he was never interested in a sequel. He said “I never wanted to do Hera Pheri again. Akshay Kumar convinced me. He had paid a huge amount for the rights and asked Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal to come on board. I said yes because I couldn’t say no to Akshay.”Paresh Fires BackOn 25th May, Rawal’s lawyer Ameet Naik responded to the legal notice, asserting that no formal screenplay, story draft, or long-form agreement had ever been delivered.

Further complicating matters was the original producer Firoz Nadiadwala, who allegedly raised objections about the third film’s making — a critical detail that possibly influenced Rawal’s decision to exit.The legal response read:“They did not deliver the story, screenplay or a draft of a long form agreement, which was fundamental to the engagement of our client. In the absence of these and also since Mr Nadiadwala, the producer of the original films, issued notice to our client and raised issues on the making of the film, our client chose to exit and returned the money with interest by terminating the term sheet.First, they accepted the monies, but later, unfortunately, sent an untenable notice to our client when knowingly nothing was and is ready, so there can never be any loss"Sources confirmed Rawal had returned his Rs 11 lakh signing amount with 15% p.a.

interest, and even added a little extra as a gesture.The Missing PaperworkI

f industry insiders are to be believed, the chaos wasn’t limited to legal notices. On 26th May, Film Information (Komal Nahta’s trade publication) reported that no final agreement existed between Rawal and Cape of Good Films. The script wasn’t locked. The much-hyped promo featuring Akshay, Suniel, and Rawal was reportedly shot in haste.More importantly, the franchise rights themselves seemed to be in limbo, with Firoz Nadiadwala allegedly contesting Akshay Kumar’s derivative rights to make Hera Pheri 3 without him. This shadow dispute, it seems, may have made Rawal increasingly uncomfortable, prompting his calculated exit.Akshay Breaks His SilenceFinally, on 27th May, Akshay Kumar addressed the controversy in a public interaction at the launch of the trailer of his upcoming film Housefull 5. He said, “ I have been working for him (Paresh Rawal) for the last 30 years. We are very good friends. He’s a great actor and I really admire him. Jo bhi kuch hai, I don’t think this is the right place, I am not going to talk about it since it is a very

A Franchise in Trouble

As of today, Hera Pheri 3 is a film plagued by legal troubles, creative indecision, and rights disputes. What was meant to be a nostalgia-laden return of Raju, Shyam, and Babu Bhaiya has turned into an industry cautionary tale about paperwork, proprietary rights, and the unpredictability of film partnerships.