Paresh Rawal once spoke openly about feeling tired of being linked so strongly to Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, his much-loved character from the ‘Hera Pheri’ franchise. The actor said he wanted to move away from the image the role created, even though audiences continued to celebrate it through memes, clips, and reels. His comments showed the other side of playing a comic character that became bigger than almost every other part of his film career.
Paresh Rawal on Baburao image
In an earlier interview with ETimes, Paresh Rawal addressed the enduring popularity of Baburao and said he had grown tired of the constant attention the character attracted. The actor played Baburao in ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Hera Pheri 2,’ later titled ‘Phir Hera Pheri,’ with Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty.Speaking about the character’s popularity, Rawal said, “But I am tired of that. Sick and tired of that.” His remark came as fans continued to revisit Baburao through online jokes, memes, and short videos.Rawal also explained why he felt the sequel did not work as well as the original film. He said, “What happened was, in Hera Pheri 2, we were very over smart. “Zyada hi hoshiyari dikha rahe the apni (We were trying to act too smart). And, it did not work.”
Paresh Rawal on ‘Hera Pheri 3’
Rawal also spoke about what he felt the franchise needed if another film were to move forward. He said the character needed to return with the innocence that made him work in the first place.“Jab kabhi bhi hota hai, ek to innocence chahiye wo nahi tha….wo tha hi nahi. Gandgi ho gai (Whenever it happens, it needs innocence, which was not there. It just wasn’t there….It became messy). In fact, I would like to get rid of that image. Truly,” he said, referring to the idea of ‘Hera Pheri 3.’Baburao remains one of Rawal’s most recognized roles. The character’s thick glasses, comic timing, and confused innocence became central to the franchise’s appeal. Rawal’s comments, however, showed that the same popularity also became limiting for him as an actor.
