By Kavita Mistry 
Paresh Rawal’s character, Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, in the Hera Pheri franchise has become one of the most iconic characters in Bollywood and attained cult status. However, the actor was seen in the same lens after portraying the role and felt he was stuck with that image. While the actor admitted that he enjoys the love that comes his way even after all these years, he said that there was a time when he felt suffocated.
He said during an interview, “It was like a noose. I went to Vishal Bharadwaj ji in 2007. Part 2 of Hera Pheri had released in 2006. I told him I wanted to get rid of that image. I requested him to give me a different character with the same getup. I felt only he could do that. Whoever was approaching me post-Hera Pheri was in a similar kind of role. I told him that I am an actor and don’t want to be stuck in one image”
He added, “In 2022, I went to R. Balki. I requested him to provide me something, maybe the same outfit but in a different part. I feel smothered. It makes me joyful, yeah, but there is a certain allure about it. I want to be free from that.”
Hera Pheri was released in 2000, and it became a hit. The film starred Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal Suniel Shetty, Rimi Sen and Bipasha Basu among others. The second part was released in 2006, and ever since, people have been waiting for the third instalment. Earlier this month, reports were doing the rounds suggesting that the first scene of Hera Pheri 3, starring the original trio, was filmed, and it was a success. As per reports, the cast will apparently “bring back the memories of their iconic roles.”
See Also: Have Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty & Paresh Rawal Started Shooting For Hera Pheri 3?