'Holy Shit, It's A Crisis': Suniel Shetty REACTS To Paresh Rawal's Exit From Hera Pheri 3, Says 'Film Is Important For Our Mental Health'

Actor Suniel Shetty, set to reprise his iconic role as Shyam in Hera Pheri 3, reacted with shock to the sudden exit of his co-star Paresh Rawal. He revealed that it was his children, Athiya Shetty and Ahaan Shetty, who first broke the news to him. Suniel described the situation as a crisis for the film's team.

Suniel Shetty said he has no clue about Paresh Rawal’s sudden exit and called it 'absolutely shocking.' Speaking to India Today, the 63-year-old actor admitted he was completely unaware of the development. "I first thought about texting him, and then I thought I'd meet him and would discuss it. I have had no word about it with anybody. Even Akshay is clueless as to what happened."

"This is a crisis. We are in the middle of this film, and this is the biggest shock," added Shetty.

He added, "We were going to begin shooting next year. We had already started, in fact. We shot a promo. It's a big thing. This is so shocking. I can't make sense of this. And you know who sent it? Athiya and Ahaan - they both sent it to me within 15 minutes, asking 'Papa, what is this?'. And I was here doing my interviews, and I felt like 'holy shit'."

"You know, this film is important for our mental health. I don't know what's going to happen," concluded Suniel.

Earlier today, it was reported that Akshay Kumar, through his production house, Cape Of Good Films, has sent a legal notice to Rawal, demanding Rs 25 crore for his abrupt departure from the film.

According to a report in Hindustan Times,  Akshay sent a notice alleging 'grossly unprofessional conduct' and claims that Paresh left Hera Pheri 3 in a lurch after signing a legal contract and beginning the shoot. Reportedly, Paresh showed a 'blatant disregard for professional integrity or commercial morality.'

The source further added, "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."

Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal are yet to react to the news.