Paresh Rawal's sudden walkout from Hera Pheri 3 has been a huge shock, with Akshay Kumar's Cape of Good Films issuing a threat of "severe legal consequences," as per their lawyer.
The sudden decision of the actor to exit the long-awaited sequel last week has left the film fraternity and audience alike shocked, as they have been waiting for the third installment for close to two decades. According to reports, Akshay Kumar, producer of Hera Pheri 3 as well, has gone to court against Paresh Rawal.
Pooja Tidke, Joint Managing Partner of Parinam Law Associate, Akshay's production house representative, said in a statement to PTI, "I believe there will be serious legal repercussions. It's obviously damaged the franchise. We've written to him informing him that there are many legal repercussions involved. There have been costs incurred towards the cast, towards the crew, towards senior lead actors, logistics equipment, and trailer shooting."
Tidke clarified that Paresh had announced publicly in a January social media update that he was working on the film. "Then, after that, there were agreements made for the shooting of the trailer. Actually, there was some part of around three-and-a-half minutes of the film itself, which had been shot.". Abruptly, a couple of days back, we got a statement from Paresh ji stating that he is not involved with the film anymore and does not wish to be involved with the film. So it's caught everyone by surprise and shock, naturally.
She stressed that backing out of a contract carries “severe consequences” for the project. “There’s reputational damage involved for the actors that are committed to the film, the franchise as a whole, and of course, there’s a great deal of disappointment among the audience. So we’re optimistic that things work out, but as of now we’re facing legal issues,” Tidke added.
Though Paresh hasn't replied to the legal notice yet, the actor has been provided with a week's time to do so. In response to the compensation being asked for, Tidke said that his decision has caused "losses" for the producers. "There's been a lot of money already spent on the film. Shooting had started. Of course, everybody's synchronized timelines are disrupted. Professionally, everybody's been affected."
Paresh Rawal has been memorable for his legendary character of Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in the first two Hera Pheri movies, out in 2000 and 2006. Priyadarshan, the director of the original, also participates in the third one.
