Kartik Aaryan to replace Akshay Kumar in 'Hera Pheri 3', says report

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the casting of Hera Pheri 3. Earlier, it was reported that Akshay Kumar would be doing 3 films – Hera Pheri 3, Awara Pagal Deewana 2, and Welcome 3.

Just days after the reports, news about Akshay being replaced by Kartik Aaryan in Hera Pheri 3 started making the rounds. According to Bollywood Hungama, producer Firoz Nadiadwala was having parallel conversations with both Akshay and Kartik over the last few weeks.

“Firoz is keen to revive Hera Pheri franchise and wanted to start it as soon as possible. After the success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Kartik is also a hot property for Akshay Kumar franchises and hence he was discussing Hera Pheri 3 with both Akshay and Kartik,” a source told the publication.

The insider added, “Through the discussion, Akshay quoted INR90 crores as his fees plus some share of profit as his remuneration for Hera Pheri 3 whereas Kartik was willing to do it for INR30 crores. Firoz went to the satellite and digital players with the two probable casting calls and that’s when he realised that the proposition of working with Kartik was giving him more lucrative returns in the final tally than working with Akshay. The difference in the remuneration price was nearly INR60 crores between both actors.”

Firoz allegedly approached Akshay again and tried to convince him to enter into a profit-sharing arrangement. “Akshay turned it down as he felt the franchise benefits majorly from his presence. After several rounds of meetings, the conversations were not moving in the right direction and ended in a stalemate. That was the final nail in the coffin. Finally, Firoz had no choice but to sign his contract with Kartik and the duo is now all set to revive Hera Pheri 3. Firoz feels that Kartik is the best fit for the role of Raju.”

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