Suneil Shetty is thrilled about Kartik Aaryan joining Hera Pheri 3

Kartik Aaryan has joined Hera Pheri franchise and Suneil Shetty is ‘thrilled’ about it. He also clarifies that Kartik, in no way, has ‘replaced’ Akshay Kumar in the upcoming film.

Paresh Rawal confirmed the presence of Kartik through a tweet where a fan asked if Kartik will be a part of the third installment. Later, Akshay confirmed it further by announcing that he won’t be a part of the film due to ‘creative differences.’

Shetty talked about his Kartik’s association with the film, "Kartik Aaryan is a brilliant choice, (but) he is not playing Raju. Kartik is an absolute new character and he will bring amazing energy to the role that he would play.” He said.

He further addressed the issue of Akshay not being a part of the film by saying, "Nobody can replace Raju. Now, it is for Raju and Firoz bhai to sort out 'Hera Pheri.’

The first film of the trilogy was released in 2000 helmed by Priyadarshan. The sequel was released in Phir Hera Pheri in 2006 which was helmed by Neeraj Vora (late).

Shetty further said, ‘I feel a hit film is something whose characters are remembered, like Raju, Shyam, Babu bhaiya. The simplicity of 'Hera Pheri' has worked with the audience. I didn't know that the film would become a cult (classic) like this. But I knew it would be appreciated.’

He also said, ‘Clean comedies will always work like magic and will be loved by toddlers to older people. You would not feel like you want to fast forward and watch it.’