In an explosive development, Akshay Kumar has reportedly sued Paresh Rawal for Rs 25 crore for sabotaging their movie Hera Pheri 3.
A report by HT states, “Akshay Kumar, through his production house, Cape of Good Films, has sent a legal notice to actor Paresh Rawal claiming Rs 25 crores in damages, for grossly unprofessional conduct and leaving the film Hera Pheri 3 in a lurch after signing a legal contract and starting shoot for the film.”
A source close to the development told the website, “Paresh displayed a blatant disregard for professional integrity or commercial morality. If he wanted to not do the film, he should have said so before signing the legal contract, accepting the signing amount and making the producer spend so much money on the shoot.”
The source added, “It is high time Bollywood actors realise that like Hollywood, producers here too will no longer give in to the whims of an actor walking in and out of a film as he pleases.”
© Instagram/Akshay Kumar
Another source told Pinkvilla, “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.”
“All the amounts invested by Cape of Good Films, to make a debt-free product, was done only after the OG trio of Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Suniel Shetty had agreed to be a part of the third Hera Pheri film. In-fact, Hera Pheri 3 also went on floors as the team reunited to shoot for an extremely funny announcement video. The one-day shoot also resulted in an investment of money and all of that stands still at the moment, as Paresh Rawal has decided to take a backseat, all of a sudden. The act is unprofessional, and uncalled for. Paresh has given logical reason for his exit to the team, leaving everyone furious and disappointed. Why should a producer suffer due to an unprofessional exit of another actor? He has to pay for the losses caused by sudden exit” added the source.
The source concluded by saying, “As much as they didn’t want to take a legal route, and act of backing out has forced them to send a legal notice claiming damages. Paresh signed a contract to do the film, and even took a signing amount. The makers agreed to all his demands, and even paid him much more than the market value. He has been a part of all the core meetings taking Hera Pheri 3, and the intent is to take action as he has backed out after committing to the film and even shooting for it.”
© Instagram/Akshay Kumar
A few days ago, Paresh Rawal confirmed through the media that he is stepping away from the cult comedy franchise. While the exact reason wasn’t initially disclosed, sources now reveal that the veteran actor simply didn’t “feel like” being part of the project at this time. The news has left millions of Hera Pheri fans disheartened, given his iconic contribution to the beloved series.
