Will Akshay Kumar Be Back As 'Raju' In 'Hera Pheri 3'? Makers In Conversation With Actor: Report

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has been dominating the headlines since he announced that he will not be a part of Hera Pheri 3. The news came as a shock to Kumar's fans who were expecting him to be in the upcoming part of the super-hit comic caper. Though the Sooryavanshi actor had earlier confirmed that he will not be a part of the third part, there is a buzz that he could be back as the character Raju.

According to Pinkvilla, film producer Firoz Nadiadwala has reinitiated talks with Akshay Kumar to convince him to return as Raju. A source close to the development revealed, "While everything was on paper concerning the casting of Hera Pheri 3 with Kartik Aaryan, the tides are now changing again."

The source further stated, "Over the last 10 days, Firoz has met Akshay Kumar a couple of times to sort out all the differences and get him back to the loved franchise. He realizes how iconic the character is and also acknowledges that the credit to make the character scale new heights goes to how Akshay enacted the part."

Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri stars Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, and Paresh Rawal in lead roles. The third installment of the series is in development. It was clear that a third movie was being planned because the second movie ended on a cliffhanger. Due to several problems, the production was long overdue, and eventually, the project was shelved.

According to reports from November 2022, Akshay Kumar won't participate in the third movie due to creative issues. Paresh Rawal tweeted that Kartik Aaryan would take over for Kumar and that filming would begin with filmmaker Anees Bazmee in 2023.