Fans have been waiting to hear developments on Hera Pheri 3, but did you know that the makers have done the biggest hera pheri with the cast of Housefull 5?

Housefull 5, which recently crossed the Rs 100 crore mark at the Indian box office, was supposed to star Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor as cops.

Makers clearly wanted to recreate the magic of Uday and Majnu’s chemistry from Welcome.

© Base Industries Group

But Anil Kapoor rejected the role.

The reports also suggest that Amitabh Bachchan was initially offered Nana Patekar’s role.

A source close to the development told Bollywood Hungama, “Initially, the plan was to have Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar play the cops. These roles were ultimately played by Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff. The idea was to have Uday-Majnu kind of banter between Anil and Nana.”

The source added, “However, Anil declined the offer. Hence, Sajid Nadiadwala decided to have Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff as the cops. That combination also works as they both appeared in Khal Nayak (1993). On the other hand, Amitabh Bachchan was offered the role of the senior cop. He respectfully declined, probably because he is 80+ and is selective about his roles. Nana was already a part of the film and hence, he was given the role of the senior cop that was originally intended for Big B.”

© Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment

Anil Kapoor reportedly declined to join Housefull 5 last year because of compensation concerns. In the meantime, there are rumours that Boman Irani was likely offered the movie as well, especially the Batook Patel role. With the exception of Housefull 4 (2019), the character has appeared in every Housefull movie. Boman has consistently played Batook. Johny Lever played the part of the Gujarati character in Housefull 5.

Housefull 5 is the fifth film in the Housefull franchise, directed by Tarun Mansukhani.