Paresh Rawal’s exit from Hera Pheri 3 has brought a storm of speculations and rumours on social media.

While some people are devastated over Paresh’s exit from the franchise, others are saying that Pankaj Tripathi would be the next best option to play Baburao Ganpat Rao Apte.

The reactions

While some users are still sceptical about Pankaj Tripathi’s inclusion, others are saying that he might be the next best actor to play Baburao.

© Instagram/Panjkaj Tripathi

One user commented, “If Pankaj Tripathi is taken into role and Paresh Rawal is not agreeing, then maybe they should give the movie a new flavour with a new name, role change or something. Pankaj Tripathi is a very good actor and he can definitely reinveint the role as per his capabilities. Unfortunately, he cannot exactly copy Paresh’s role which I think both Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi are aware of.”

© Reddit/BollyBlindsNGossip

Another user commented, “Pankaj Tripathi could bring something valuable to the role, but he wouldn’t be a replacement, he’d be a reinvention. He’d probably make a good “Babu Bhaiya” type character in a spin-off or reboot, but stepping into Paresh Rawal’s shoes directly would feel off. Audiences would constantly compare them, and the charm of the original might get lost. So respectfully, no.”

One user reacted, “No, Pankaj’s versatility was brutally exposed in the movie Atal, he plays subtle characters which are similar. On the contrary Babu bhaiyya is the opposite, loud, charismatic and very relatable. Paresh Rawal as an actor is one of the most versatile we have seen in Bollywood.”

© Reddit/BollyBlindsNGossip

One user commented, “He cannot speak Marathi fluently unless he works very hard on his diction. Paresh Rawal having close ties with Marathi community including his love for Marathi plays and songs helped him give birth to this iconic character of Baburao Ganpatrao Apte.”

© Reddit/BollyBlindsNGossip

The legal battle

Paresh Rawal took an exit from the production of Hera Pheri 3, after which Akshay Kumar filed a lawsuit against him for citing unprofessional behaviour.

In return, Paresh Rawal stated that he was not even given the script for the film.